There is a question many Nigerians whisper in frustration, but rarely say aloud: Is the Nigerian state losing its ability to protect its own people? It is a heavy question, one that carries the weight of fear, anger, and long years of unkept promises. But recent events, the mass abductions in Kebbi and Niger States, have forced the nation to confront it once again.
In the space of days, hundreds of students and staff were taken from their schools. For the families, the images of empty classrooms and abandoned sandals in the dust are not statistics, they are nightmares. For communities, they are reminders that insecurity has become a daily reality that no longer shocks, only deepens the collective wound.
Across the country, the feeling is unmistakable: the ground under Nigeria’s feet is shaking.
A NATION UNDER SIEGE — BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS
Nigeria’s security challenges are not a single problem but a patchwork of crises stretching across the regions.
In the Northwest, banditry has taken on the character of a shadow government, groups launching raids, collecting taxes, operating illegal markets, and seizing schoolchildren as bargaining chips.
The Northeast remains scarred by years of Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks, leaving behind displaced families, abandoned farmlands, and communities trying to rebuild from ashes.
The North Central grapples with deadly farmer, herder clashes and reprisals that have turned villages into ghost towns.
The Southeast faces separatist tensions and sporadic violence, disrupting commerce and eroding trust in public institutions.
The South-South, despite being the oil hub, battles pipeline vandalism, oil theft, environmental degradation, and riverine insecurity.
The Southwest deals with highway kidnappings, ritual killings, and urban gang clashes.
It is a long list, and each region’s burden differs, but the conclusion is the same: the country is struggling to keep its people safe.
SUCCESSIVE GOVERNMENTS AND WHAT THEY DID
Nigeria did not arrive at this moment overnight. Each administration, faced with spiralling insecurity, tried various approaches, some useful, many insufficient.
- Creation of New Military Units and Bases
Several governments responded to insurgency and banditry by establishing new forward operating bases, special strike forces, and joint task teams. These deployments helped push back insurgents in some areas, but inconsistent funding, inadequate equipment, and overstretched personnel often stalled progress.
- Amnesty and Reintegration Programs
The amnesty programme in the Niger Delta brought temporary calm in the 2000s. It reduced bombings and pipeline attacks. But the model wasn’t sustained properly, and the absence of long-term economic alternatives left the region in a cycle of tension and economic sabotage.
- Increase in Defence Spending
Annual defence budgets have grown, but the gains have not matched the investment. Procurement controversies and corruption allegations meant that many of these resources did not translate into stronger security on the ground.
- Community Vigilante Networks
From the Civilian JTF in Borno to Amotekun in the Southwest, the rise of regional security outfits shows that citizens often step in when the state falls short. These groups helped reduce some local threats, but coordination and legal structure remain limited.
- Gradual Adoption of Technology
Successive governments began using drones, surveillance equipment, and communication tools. However, these technologies are not yet widespread or integrated into a national intelligence framework, limiting their impact.
WHAT THE CURRENT LEADERSHIP CAN STILL DO
Nigeria is not past saving. But it requires a level of seriousness, empathy, and long-term commitment that citizens have been yearning for. Several steps remain possible and urgent:
- A Unified National Security Plan
Different regions cannot be treated with one template. Nigeria needs a harmonised strategy that acknowledges the uniqueness of each insecurity type, banditry, terrorism, communal violence, militancy, and urban crime. Security agencies must operate under a single coordinated command with shared intelligence operations.
- Strengthening Local Intelligence
Most communities know where the criminals live, move, and operate. A national intelligence system anchored on community reporting, early warning, and rapid communication could help security forces anticipate attacks before they occur.
- School Security Infrastructure
The debate around closing schools shows the depth of the crisis. But shutting schools plays into the hands of violent groups who oppose education. Instead, Nigeria must strengthen perimeter fencing, create safe school routes, deploy trained guards, install alarm systems, and establish rapid response teams specifically for school protection.
- Addressing Root Causes
Poverty, unemployment, land disputes, drug abuse, and lack of education all fuel insecurity. A government that treats only the symptoms, without confronting the root causes, will continue fighting a war without end.
- Integrating Technology Into Policing
CCTV networks, drones, satellite imagery, mobile data tracking, and biometrics must become everyday tools for law enforcement. Technology reduces human vulnerabilities and strengthens the precision of operations.
- Supporting Security Personnel
Many of Nigeria’s security personnel operate in extremely difficult conditions, poor housing, inadequate equipment, delayed allowances, and low morale. A properly motivated force performs better.
- Leadership Presence and Empathy
When tragedies occur, Nigerians expect their leaders to be physically present, to comfort grieving families, and to reassure communities. Leadership is not only about policies, it is also about presence.
THE QUESTION THAT REMAINS
If a nation cannot protect students in schools, farmers in the fields, travellers on highways, and worshippers in churches and mosques, can it truly claim to be secure?
Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads. The country is not yet a failed state, but the signs are too glaring to ignore. What Nigeria needs now is a leadership, at all levels—that is courageous enough to confront the truth, compassionate enough to feel the nation’s pain, and committed enough to deliver lasting solutions.
Because the day Nigerians begin to accept insecurity as normal is the day the state loses its soul.
Ubong Usoro for Nigeria Magazine
