By Owei Lakemfa
I have worried that President Bola Tinubu did not appreciate the fact that our country is at war against vicious, unfeeling bandits and terrorists who massacre babies, children, the young and the old. But on November 26, 2025, he proclaimed a state of emergency declaring war on these criminals some of who are foreign invaders.
Tinubu had also announced the decision and determination of the government to fight and defeat these criminals and, free the country from their grip.
This is a welcome departure from his previous position that what is going on is some ‘herder-farmer’ clash with dialogue and tolerance as the solution.
However, his declaration which includes mass recruitment into the military and police forces, is merely a half measure as we need decisive action and also, measures to conscientize those Nigerians weaned on an ideology of banditry.
Those propagating that ideology, argue that the bandits are the victims while the actual victims are the perpetrators of injustice. Secondly, that the bandits and terrorists are merely engaged in self-defence or on revenge missions. Thirdly, that the Air Force should not be used against the bandits because there may be collateral damage. Fourthly, that the bandits are actually liberation fighters struggling to liberate their ethnic nationality. Fifthly, that the war in the country is actually between the North and South so, Northerners should unite as a region. Their preferred solution is that the government should dialogue with the terrorists and bandits, grant them amnesty and, pay them off with our oil resources.
These arguments are quite ridiculous, but it is not only the Sheikh Gumis whose assistants are accused by government agencies of earning commissions from ransom paid the bandits, that are engaged in this racket. There is a whole system of politicians, academics and journalists who are working on this almost on a full time basis. For instance, on the morning of Saturday, November 29, 2025, I made a content analysis of the Facebook postings of former Editor of the New Nigeria Newspapers, Yakub Aliyu, and discovered that he posted these type of arguments 32 times within twenty four hours. This means that on the average, he made a post defending or rationalizing banditry and terrorism once every forty five minutes.
Beyond these non-state actors are also State actors whose utterances in practice, tend to send the country to sleep on the false premise that we are on top of the situation. For instance, in my analyzing media reports on this war, I find that whenever the security situation is degenerating, the Honourable Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru Abubakar announces that the country is security-wise, doing very well.
On February 23, 2025 while speaking in Birninkudu, Jigawa State, he told the country: “Based on feedback from opinion leaders, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and residents of affected areas, there is a general consensus that the security situation has improved.” Quite ridiculous! Since when has it become the practice that a government reports to the country the security situation based on the “consensus” of some people, rather than actual report of the security agencies?
On May 23, 2025 in an interview to mark the second year in office of the Tinubu administration, Bagudu claimed that the North East and North West, two of the three most terrorism-impacted regions of the country, have almost gotten back to normalcy. He reported that: “Markets are back. Farms are productive again. We’ve seen Fulani, Hausa and other communities rebuilding trust. The progress is real and visible.” But today, six months later, such progress claimed by Mr Bagudu are neither real nor visible. In fact, the security situation has so degenerated that President Tinubu last Wednesday declared a state of security emergency. In his address to the nation, he said: “My fellow Nigerians, this is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas. The times require all hands on deck.”
That in my view underlined the dire state of insecurity in the country. But Bagudu held an interview with the BBC Hausa Service which did not seem to share such view. Rather, he announced that the country is close to victory over the bandits and terrorists. The military, he announced, is close to ending banditry in the country.
He then tried to explain away on-going waves of mass abductions in schools, worship centres and villages: “This is how guerrilla warfare works. There will be periods of calm, and then they launch an attack that shakes the nation.”
He also indirectly, added his voice to those who do not want air strikes carried out against the bandits and terrorists: “Yes, we know their locations, but some of these areas are places where direct strikes could endanger civilians, or forests where our bombs cannot penetrate.”
The body language of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle is not different from Bagudu’s. As Governor of Zamfara State, he is documented as one of the governors who held “dialogues” with bandits and gave them resources. His successor, Governor Dauda Lawal, directly accused Matawalle of sponsoring bandits and undermining efforts to end insecurity in the state. He also reported him to the office of the National Security Adviser. Rather than defend himself, Matawalle said he had sworn by the Quran that he is innocent.
Tinubu’s state of emergency cannot be effective unless he examines these matters. But most important are the practical actions his government takes. For instance, he should order the armed forces to retake all villages and communities occupied by bandits and terrorists and, return all those in the Internally Displaced Peoples’ camps especially in Benue, Plateau and Bornu States, to their homes.
Also, immediate steps should be taken to effect some of the decisions he announced such as state police. If his government and party can introduce, pass and sign the bill changing the national anthem within six days, there can be no excuse why a major security bill that affects lives, should not be given accelerated passage.
This should go hand-in-hand with the right of Nigerians to self-defence and, to bear arms. Banditry and terrorism are a warfare against the Nigerian people. The surest way to conquer our enemies is through mass defence. We can start by converting the National Youth Service Corps into a para military organization, and their camps into training centres where Nigerians who so desire, can be trained in self-defence.
Equally, the government needs to ensure good remuneration and retirement package for all who serve the public be they civil servants or soldiers. Finally, I submit that the place for deradicalized or repentant bandits and terrorists is the correctional services not some welfare centres.
