Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, on Wednesday, alleged that names of Boko Haram members were previously found on the Nigerian Army recruitment list, warning that the infiltration is “undermining the country’s security architecture.”
Wase spoke at a special House plenary session convened to review Nigeria’s worsening security situation, stating that former Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Muktar Betara and lawmaker Muktar Betara could verify the discovery.
In a strongly worded intervention, Wase gave a detailed account of how the alleged infiltration was uncovered, urging politicians to be more discerning in security recommendations.
“My brother, former chairman of defence, and my very good friend, Betara, will bear with me that we have moments when, in the process of recruitment, we found in the list names of criminals. Boko Haram members were found in the list of Army,” he said.
He decried the national recruitment process, which he said has enabled individuals with questionable backgrounds to enter sensitive security institutions unchecked.
“There has to be a thorough way of ensuring that when we are recruiting, those of us who are politicians should recommend people of good character and integrity. That’s the only way we can solve this problem,” he added.
Wase said the presence of criminals in the system helps explain why terror networks continue to thrive despite military efforts, and blamed leadership failures for allowing security institutions to remain porous.
“You find a criminal in the system, and before you know it, whatever you do, you cannot have the problem resolved. So we must change the system and way of our recruitment,” he said.
The former deputy speaker, who disclosed that he lost a brother and cousin to terrorists, linked the alleged infiltration to the unchecked movements of criminal groups operating with audacity.
He further revealed the intensity of the insecurity around his community, saying his surviving younger brother pleaded for help to secure a transfer out of their area.
According to Wase, the security crisis has become so overwhelming that even family survival decisions are now dictated by terrorist threats and an unsafe local environment.
While reinforcing lawmakers’ constitutional role in leadership endorsements, Wase cautioned against reckless recommendations.
“Yes, as politicians, it’s good to recommend. This is what we are here for. But when you are recommending, please recommend people of integrity, people that will meet standards and ensure that they give the best access to our country,” he said.
Ransoms And Death Toll Reveal Systemic Breakdown
Wase also touched on metrics reflecting the severity of the security deterioration, referencing staggering loss of lives over time and reported ransom transfers.
He said kidnapping has become normalised, reportedly with about N5 billion paid as ransom in one year, while over 30,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram-linked attacks historically.
Wase further warned that insecurity persists partly because vested interests benefit from the chaos, enabling criminals to move in “convoys with impunity.”
He lamented the politicisation of indigeneship and citizenship, calling constitutional reforms necessary to address divisions triggered by identity conflicts.
Wase urged the House to adopt a more comprehensive and coordinated approach, stressing that insecurity requires more than fragmented solutions but urgent systemic repair led by credible recruitment standards and constitutional unity.
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