Terrorism: Time Is Running Out, Mr President
As Nigeria faces increased pressure from the United States and the international community to demonstrate seriousness in combating terrorism, the disturbing wave of attacks across the country over the past week is a stark reminder that time is running out for both the government and its citizens.
In recent days, terrorists abducted 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Angwarra LGA of Niger State. This came shortly after the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State, followed by an attack and abductions in a church in Eruku, Kwara State. Many similar incidents have also gone unreported.
For more than 15 years, Nigeria has watched helplessly as innocent citizens are killed, villages destroyed, families displaced, and ancestral lands overtaken by armed groups. With each attack, the country loses more territory to terrorists, forcing thousands into internal displacement camps within their own homeland.
Despite repeated assurances, successive administrations including the current one led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have failed to deploy a decisive and effective counterterrorism strategy. The political will needed to dismantle terrorist networks and their financiers has remained weak. There has also been no honest admission of why the Nigerian military, despite its size, funding, and equipment, has been unable to defeat insurgents who come from across West Africa to wreak havoc. Instead, these groups have grown more organised and emboldened.
With terrorists now sharing the Nigerian space and sovereignty, the critical question remains: Does the government still have the capacity to reverse this tide? Or must it concede its limitations, step aside for capable leadership, or urgently seek stronger international assistance? For 15 years, the same tactics have produced the same outcomes insecurity, fear, and national decline.
Public frustration has reached a level where even loyal supporters of the government now say President Tinubu must either act decisively or resign. Many Nigerians are beginning to draw parallels with Afghanistan, not out of pessimism, but from observing Nigeria’s continuous loss of control to extremists. The government, however, continues to downplay the severity, preferring denial to accountability.
The recent ambush in Borno State, where ISWAP fighters captured and killed a Brigade Commander along the Damboa Biu road, should be an alarming signal. The humiliating execution of a senior officer often described by the government as a “rag-tag enemy” reflects poor strategy, weak coordination, and a lack of political resolve. It is a national disgrace that should provoke immediate action.
Furthermore, the abduction of 25 female students at Maga Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Kebbi State, highlights the failure of intelligence utilisation. Governor Mohammed Nasir revealed that credible DSS intelligence warnings were ignored similar to what happened in Chibok 11 years ago. If this negligence is not punished, then the system remains complicit.
Since the abduction of over 250 Chibok girls in 2014, terrorists have abducted more than 1,548 students in 11 major school attacks across Yobe, Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi. Beyond schools, these groups now levy taxes, occupy territories, and run parallel governments in areas deserted by the Nigerian state. This raises a grave question: What is the purpose of government if it cannot protect its citizens or uphold the Constitution it swore to defend?
President Tinubu took a responsible step by cancelling his scheduled visits to South Africa and Angola following the recent attacks. He also issued a directive for full military mobilisation. These actions show intent, but intent alone is not enough. Nigerians expect concrete results and they will hold him accountable if progress is not swiftly made, because he sought the presidency with full knowledge of the nation’s crises.
In the end, no excuse will be acceptable. The primary duty of any government is to protect lives and property. If terrorists continue to dominate Nigeria’s security landscape, then the nation’s survival is at risk and history will judge those in leadership for failing to act when it mattered most.
