Nigeria has been under the siege of terrorism since 2009 when Boko Haram began its inexplicable onslaught. Since then more groups like the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Ansaru, have joined the fray. In recent months, the spate of abductions and killings has increased, resulting in the country’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern by the United States government. Deputy Editor Emmanuel Oladesu examines the cost of insecurity across the nation and renewed efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reinvigorate the anti-terror war.
Nigeria will not forget the outgoing year in a hurry, particularly the pain and anxiety unleashed by terror. The fear of kidnapping has been the beginning of wisdom. Everybody is a target. No Nigerian, high or low, is off the radar of abductors. Vigilance at home, school, market, church, social events and on the road has become the watchword.
From far-flung villages to bubbling towns bandits inflict trauma, causing deep physical and emotional wounds. The statistics are startling. As at June, this year, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported 3,012 kidnappings and N3, 584 killings in the last 15 months.
Also, a report by a research firm, SBM Intelligence, in August, revealed the scale of the kidnapping crisis. No fewer than 4,722 people were abducted and N2.57 billion paid to kidnappers as ransom between July 2024 and June 2025.
The report, titled: ‘Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry’, paints an astonishing picture of a booming criminal enterprise fuelled by the motivating financial gains from horror and apparent weak law enforcement.
Not all the cases of kidnappings and killings are captured by the media. But also devastating is the number of missing persons as more Nigerians are lost to armed conflicts, herder-farmer conflicts, inter-ethnic tensions, serial abductions and money rituals.
According to the International Committee of Red Cross, in an October report, over 23,659 people were missing and 13, 595 families devastated.
At a time the country is rising, like a Phoenix from the ashes of economic retardation and achieving stability under the Tinubu administration, insecurity is growing. This has given rise to fears, by observers, that some of the incidents may be politically-motivated.
The spate of killings has thrown country into a big storm. Despite huge expenditure and the determination of security agencies to reclaim Nigeria from its tormentors, relief is still far; life is not safe; it is becoming short, nasty and brutish.
Expectedly, the whipping boy is the government, not for lack of efforts, but due to the perception that it is its primary duty to protect lives and property.
In the last two months, the wave of abductions reached a crescendo. Between November 17 and 21, the country experienced four violent cases of abduction and brutal killing.
The seizure of students in Niger and Kebbi schools, the kidnapping of Brigadier-General Musa Uba who died in captivity, and the abduction of 38 worshippers in Eruku and 11 others in Isapa in Kwara State caused general anxiety. It was a relief that the 38 victims returned home safely, like those 21 passengers rescued at the weekend in Kogi by security forces.
At St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, 303 students and 12 teachers were snatched. The number surpassed the 276 taken away during the infamous Chibok mass abduction of 2014. Although 50 have returned home, 250 are still being held.
Ultimately, world attention has shifted to the most populous black country on earth, now designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by United States President Donald Trump, following persistent allegations of Christian genocide by vocal Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leaders.
There is no reprieve for the Northeast states of Borno, Yobe and some areas in Adamawa. In the Northwest, it is almost daily lamentations in troubled spots in Zamfara and Kebbi. These are Muslim-dominated environments. In Manga, Plateau State, there is ethno-religious tension. The Regional Leader of the Church of Christ in Nations, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, complained that a church was forcefully seized and turned into a mosque. In the state, many communities were raided by marauders.
The response to terror in Christian-dominated North-Central areas by Christian leaders contrasts sharply with reactions by their Muslim counterparts. It is not without justification, although the claim that only non-Muslims are targets paled into propaganda.
In April, over 56 people lost their lives in a series of attacks in Benue State by suspected herders, to be followed by 42 deaths in May. Indeed, government has not kept quiet over the tragedy. Arrests of suspects were made and they were arraigned in court. The killings in Plateau State follow the same pattern.
The incessant attacks has led to serious humanitarian crisis, particularly the displacement of over 5, 00,000 people who now sojourn in Internally Displaced Camps without access to adequate food, water, sanitation and healthcare.
During the June 14 attack by gunmen on Yelwata, more 100 people were killed and over 3,941 fled their homes. Officials of Amnesty International who visited the scene reported the smell of decomposing bodies hung in the air, bullet shells littering the ground, and mass graves dug to bury the dead. Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camped in Gwer West, Agatu, Ukum, Kwande, Logo, Guma and Makurdi and the makeshift IDP camp at Makurdi Modern Market had tales of woes to tell. These populations are made more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Many traditional rulers and priests have fallen victims. Not all of them came back alive. Many soldiers and policemen have also been killed on battlefields in the course of repelling terror attacks.
Trump has threatened military action over what he described as the “mass slaughter” of Christians, a claim the Federal Government has rejected because both Christians and Muslims are often indiscriminately killed by the terror gangs.
The attacks cut across the six geopolitical zones in varying degrees. In fact, recent ones show that members of terrorist groups in Nigeria can crisscross the country unhindered.
In the North, Boko Haram, ISWAP and Ansaru are consistently on the prowl. Their hideouts are mostly in the North; in forests within Sambisa in Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, Zanfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger and Kaduna.
In the Southeast are members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) who defy the law by killing, maiming, preventing free movement and disrupting socio-economic activities. The ring leader of the outlawed group, Nnamdi Kanu, was recently jailed by an Abuja Federal High Court for terrorism.
In the Southwest and South-South are kidnappers and ritualists, who are driven by economic interests. In some instances, kidnappings are even orchestrated by family members to dupe the target.
Many have reasoned that the baseline for defeating terror is to detect and cut off the source of funding. But bandits could now be self-sponsored through kidnapping for ransom.
“Economic incentives like ransom money from kidnappings, livestock rustling earnings, or territorial control for extortion are often what motivate bandit gangs, said a researcher, Adeola Aderayo, in a paper titled: Conflict enterpreneurship and rural banditry in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
Another researcher, Nsirimudu Okwuwada, said to tackle banditry, the causes should be unravelled. He attributed the prevalence of “the barbaric, horrendous, heinous, and despicable dimensions of carnage, massacres, and bloodletting orchestrated by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other organized violent crime syndicates” to unemployment, neglect of some communities in wealth distribution, lack of government visibility, lack of equal economic opportunity, uncontrolled influx of fire arms, poverty, and religious fanaticism.
The borders remain porous and foreigners come into the country through illegal routes.
Over 1,000 of such serve as unguarded routes for systematic invasion by foreigners who now torment Nigeria. Some of them are involved in illegal mining activities, which “threaten environmental safety, public health and security.”
Terrorism and banditry have devastating effects. The image of Nigeria is dented. The economy is damaged through disrupted trade, leading to loss of jobs and income. Investment drive is impacted because it requires a conducive atmosphere to thrive.
Food crisis results from the activities of terrorists and bandits who invade farmlands and prevent farmers from cultivating their land and loot stored grains. Due to food scarcity, the prices increase.
Also, attacks on schools have led to school closure and disruptions of the academic calendar. In some areas in the North, school enrolment has dropped. Abducted students suffer from post-traumatic disorders and fear of unsafe school environment. In fact, experts have warned that children who witness these horrors need psychological assistance to avoid growing up to become adults who may perceive brutality as acceptable cultural values.
The need to liberate the country from the criminals also constitutes a drain on government revenue and resources, which should have been channelled into the provision of public infrastructure and other essential welfare services. The budget is strained and funds are ultimately diverted from development initiatives.
Experts say Nigerians would need more soldiers and drones to fight the war.
However, the Federal Government is determined to end terrorism. President Tinubu has now declared total war. He has given a nod to the establishment of state police as part of measures to combat rising insurgency and banditry.
The president, who declared a nationwide security emergency in response to the wave of violent attacks, directed the military and the police to embark on massive recruitment of personnel in readiness for a reinvigorated onslaught against terror. He said to strengthen the current federal police; the police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.
The president also ordered the activation of forest guards and tighter security measures for all vulnerable areas.
