This week, I crave your indulgence as I ask the same questions I once posed about the spate of insecurity in our land just a few weeks ago. I humbly asked some questions about the ravaging imbroglio threatening to eviscerate our collective peace and unity in the Giant of Africa. Again, I ask the questions:
What really is fueling the fire of the terrorism whirlwind, and who are the people behind the wickedness?
Are they unemployed Nigerians who are tired of hunger and poverty and trying to harm and hurt other Nigerians to survive?
Are the wicked fellas full-blown Islamic terrorists who are hell-bent on Mohammedanizing Nigeria and making everybody worship Allah?
Are they Fulani herdsmen going on a ransom rampage under the cover of itinerary herding?
Could it be that politicians of northern extractions mixed with disgruntled southern personalities who want power to remain in the North in 2027?
Is it also about 2027, where opposition politicians who want Bola Tinubu out of power by-all-means-necessary hunger to destabilise Nigeria to stabilise themselves politically?
If your nod is a “yes” to all the questions, you are not far from the truth. What we know now is that the uninvited Islamic pests are beastly and brutish in their evil escapades. They harangue, harass, and torment innocent Nigerians. They are killers of kings and murderers of queens. From the nooks of the North and crannies of the South, they have taken over our terrain. These hoodlums are thorns in the flesh of the Nigerian government, and the Nigerian military seems to be spooked and affrighted by them. And in folded hands, hapless and helpless Nigerians watch as the Cruella De Vil from the Sahel spread their tentacles in dastardly fashion.
One by one and within just one year, these people continue to kill our platoon leaders. In Mandaragirau in Borno State, Lieutenant Colonel O.C. Okolo was killed on February 16. Major U.I. Mairiga was the commander of Mayenti base; he was also cornered and murdered by the terrorists on March 1, 2026. Colleagues of Lieutenant Colonel S.I. Iliyasu will not forget that fateful and fiery day, March 6, 2026, when the gallant soldier was killed in a Boko Haram attack in Konduga, Borno State. Lieutenant Colonel Umar Farouq was not so lucky as he tried to wiggle out of the way of the killers but was hacked to death on March 9, 2026, during a Boko Haram attack on a military base in Borno State. Deadly ISWAP terrorists swarmed on a military camp when they hounded down and killed Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah on April 9, 2026. Colonel I.A. Mohammed was the Commanding Officer of the 242 Battalion who was killed on April 13, 2026, in Monguno, Borno State. Recently, we heard about the unfortunate demise of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, who was abducted last month and later died in terrorist captivity in Katsina State. His wife, who was also abducted, is now reportedly fighting for her life when she was rescued by our soldiers. She was badly haemorrhaging from the wounds she suffered as fleeing terrorists pumped bullets into her frail frame when our soldiers stormed the terrorists’ den. Many more of our soldiers are no more because these rampaging terrorists silenced them in cold blood. Kidnappers now operate like the Omnipresent One; they are present everywhere and anywhere to wreak havoc. They live in our forests and then strike us at home while we sleep. They are mercilessly brutal. Banditry and criminality are on the loose, and our rights to live in peace in our own land have suddenly been taken away, and we cannot do anything about it. What a life!
Many people have offered opinions on the way out of this mess. Security experts have proffered solutions. Intellectuals in Diplomacy have counselled. Nigeria is full of wise men and women who have all spoken wisely, but nothing has changed. This writer has also penned thousands of words on the metastatic malaise, but the situation is even getting worse. No fair-minded human being should fault Tinubu for what has befallen the nation. Yes, the buck stops with him as Commander-In-Chief. He is motivating his men to fight the bandits and insurgents anywhere and everywhere they are sighted. Funds are pouring in for equipment and training, and Tinubu is reaching out to nations for combat assistance. The USA is now a major partner in the duel against the horror and gory guests that have visited us. And training of new soldiers is ongoing. Brooding and slobbering over Tinubu for the lions-den’s situation Nigeria has found herself in is not only disingenuous; it is wifty and preposterous. Tinubu has done his best, and we expect Mr President to do some more.
State security outfits in Nigeria, like Amotekun, forest guards, neighbourhood watch, and other vigilante groups, are not legally allowed to carry military-grade weapons because they are prohibited for civilians and sub‑national entities under the Firearms Act and the 1999 Constitution. Second Schedule, Part I, Items 45 & 68 make it clear that Internal security and policing are exclusive federal matters. Until the President’s pronouncements of state police and all connecting sundry firearms matters become law, states cannot legislate or control policing.
After the abduction of 40 students and their teachers in Oyo State three weeks ago, Mr President ordered about 1,000 forest guards to be enlisted in an army of sorts that will comb the forests where the terrorists hide and do justice to them.
It sounded good. But this was just cosmetic jabbering. How do forest guards fight without guns? How do they boldly confront killers with drones, grenades and AK47s? Who confronts killers with sticks and flashlights? When you face annihilating adversaries who are armed to the teeth and dangerous to the hilt, and all you have as defence are cork-and-shoot dud Dane guns instead of AK47s; flashlights instead of bayonet, stones thrown to stop drones instead of mitigating military-grade munitions, and barricades to war against grenades, you are not just sheepishly on your own; you are on a suicide mission.
These men from the Sahel are armed and dangerous! And until men who are drafted to confront them are more armed and dangerous, those dangerous men and their sponsors will continue to be the danger that’ll loom large around us for a long time. And they will always be in a vantage position. Give men in our State Security outfits Assault rifles like AK‑47s, AK‑103s, M16s; the enemies have them. Arm our people with machine guns, like GPMGs, PKMs, and M240s; the enemies have a stockpile of these. Give them Submachine guns like the MP5s and Uzis to go to work against these people. Invest in Armoured Personnel Carriers instead of rickety vehicles that cannot go the distance. Let’s come back and assess if our enemies will still be alive in six months. Until we are more armed and dangerous, this danger will linger for a long time.
X-@FolaOjotweet