The twin devils of religious fanaticism and poor socio-economic conditions swell insecurity in Nigeria. Beginning with the arrival of Boko Haram in 2009, the country has not known peace.

The Nigerian Security Tracker, a project of the Council for Foreign Relations, has put the death toll of innocent Nigerians, due to insecurity, at over 10,000 in the last four years. Kidnapping-for-ransom, an offshoot of terrorism and banditry, led to over 2,000 Nigerians being abducted and approximately 2.2 trillion naira paid as ransom between May 2023 and April 2024 according to the National Bureau for Statistics – a figure above the entire budget for defence for the year under review. Hence, kidnap-for-ransom has snowballed into a profitable industry.

Why is this embarrassing insecurity festering and defying military strategies despite humongous allocations, some discerning minds would ask? Sadly, scores of patriots in uniforms have lost their lives and national resources allegedly unaccounted for, while the terrorists and bandits are getting bolder in their attacks.

Between Jonathan and Buhari, insecurity escalated despite having one of the best armies in the region and given their credible performances at international peacekeeping missions, why haven’t we crushed these unscrupulous elements?

It poses irreconcilable contradictions, and if one should hazard a guess, the brazen confrontation and occupation of some local governments during past administrations probably signpost superior firepower by these criminal elements, sell-out by some indigenes, unwholesome acts by men trusted to end this mess, or why will an entire community choose to pay levies to bandits and refuse to volunteer information to security operatives?

Indeed, guerrilla or asymmetric warfare can give the best armies sleepless nights but is surmountable by any serious-minded leadership. While security details and strategies are not for the pages of tabloids, the intelligence gathering of our force is queried by many.

Insecurity in Nigeria is a complex issue with multiple factors at play. At its core, the problem stems from bad governance, which has led to unfathomable challenges. From the lack of economic opportunities across the country to inadequate and broken-down infrastructure, the average Nigerian literarily begs for good governance.

The army of young men roaming the streets of Northern Nigeria without formal education, food, shelter, or healthcare was a time bomb detonated right in our faces.

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