In setting out to write this piece, I was deeply reminded of the state of bafflement that William Shakespeare and his character, Hamlet, suffered in his play of the same title. For Hamlet, the character, the bafflement stemmed from
the buffoonery of an emotion which can find no outlet in action. In Shakespeare, the dramatist, it is the buffoonery of an emotion which he cannot express in art. It is for this reason that T.S Eliot submitted that Shakespeare, in the play, tackled a problem which proved too much for him.
If we leave the esoteric world of Art and zero in on the practical realities of governance, we will, given our bafflement in the face of insecurity, be asking the question: Is Nigeria’s problem too much for the country? We will also ask: Does the country have so much packed into it that its leadership lacks the wherewithal to deal with the inner turmoil afflicting the land?
Let’s consider our apparent helplessness in the hands of terrorists. We live in a country where an armed gang surfaces from its hideout, shoots sporadically into the air or actually shoots at people, kill and maim freely, and then take away as many as it cares. Then the gunmen retire to their safe haven; to some place we call forests or bushes with the human beings they have abducted. From there, they rule and reign. They dish out orders. They issue ultimata. They send out footages of the abducted, and get one or two of them to appear in videos with lamentations. The video clips are made to go viral. We watch and lament the more.
Then the authorities, those whose duty it is to protect the citizenry, step forward with unassured steps and tell the distraught that those abducted would soon be freed. It happened in Chibok, Borno State in April 2014. Some 276 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists. Some of them, till today, are yet to return. A similar incident took place in Dapchi, Yobe State in February, 2018, where 110 schoolgirls were taken away by the same Boko Haram terrorists. Again, some of them remain missing, and this is in spite of assurances by Nigerian authorities that the affected would all be rescued. Nine to twelve years after these chilling incidents, our memories have begun to fade.
Nigerians have forgotten. But the affliction is yet to go away. The terror incidents are being renewed on a daily basis.
Before now, the abductions were largely restricted to the northern part of the country. We used to hear about some place called Sambisa forest. That dungeon is something some of us have been imagining from far away lands. Sometimes, we have been constrained to ask: Is this Sambisa forest impenetrable? Why are terrorists comfortably nestled in this Golgotha with no prospect of them being dislodged? We have also been hearing of happenings in places like Zamfara where mass abductions take place from time to time.
But now, the story is assuming a new dimension. Southern Nigeria is being infiltrated by the terrorists. In parts of the East of the country, we have pockets of abductions perpetrated largely by Fulani terrorists from the Sahel. When they strike, they disappear into our bushes with their victims. They release them only when huge ransom has been paid. Nobody has ever dared the foreign terrorists in the bushes. It is so strange that strangers from far-flung lands are able to take over bushes they are hardly familiar with while the natives, the owners of the bushes, watch helplessly. We are told that the helplessness on the part of the natives stems from imbalance of terror. While the terrorists are armed with sophisticated weapons, they locals have none to boast of.
But how did these foreign blood suckers penetrate the forests without the natives noticing when it mattered most? That obviously is the problem of lack of intelligence. Even when the locals notice, they do not do much because the overriding feeling is that the terrorists have the backing of northern military personnel in the barracks scattered all over their territory. So, the natives do nothing. They give up like conquered people. It is this laidback disposition of southern natives that is mutating into something much more monstrous.
The latest worry now is the mass abduction that took place in Oriire local government area of Oyo State on 15th May, 2026. Teachers and schoolchildren, including toddlers, all numbering about 37, were whisked away from their schools. One of the abducted teachers has since been beheaded. The terrorists and their victims are not outside our shores. They are in one of the forests in Oyo State. So far, the federal government of Nigeria has not done much to see to the release of the abducted. But we hear that the terrorists, in line with the strangeness of their action, are making strange demands. They are demanding for the institution of sharia law in Oyo state as one of the conditions that must be met before the release of their victims can be secured. So, the problem is growing wings. It is no longer about bloodshed. It has gone beyond ransom payment. Religion has crept into the matter. Oyo state is being asked to accept islamic rule if the abducted must regain their freedom. This is outrage and impudence walking on all fours.
This brings me back to a similar question I have been asking about Sambisa forest. Are our forests impenetrable? Why have they been surrendered to terrorists? Why is the Nigerian government incapable of governing some of its spaces? Is our geographical space too large for the government to oversee?Why is the Tinubu administration looking so lost in the face of terror? Why has it given up a substantial portion of the space it is supposed to govern to terrorists?
In pondering these questions, we must remind ourselves of the latest dimension terrorism in Nigeria has taken. A May 2026 report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom tells us that 30,000 Fulani militants have been unleashed on Nigeria. They are said to operate all over the country for purposes of organized violent crimes, mass abductions, land grabbing, among others. The report also tells us that there is collusion between the jihadist militias with some security agents. Already, we have seen instances of this invasion in parts of the country. The sad reality here is that government is not doing anything about it. And this seems to lend credence to the allegation contained in the US report that some security agents who are paid by government to ensure security of life and property are complicit in the ongoing terrorist activities. That is the crux of the matter.
Regrettably, however, the federal government of Nigeria appears overwhelmed. There is no concrete plan of action to stop the killings and mass abductions. Security of life and property which is one of the primary reasons for the existence of government is not being taken seriously by government. The way things are, it is as if there is no government in place. Why do terrorists abduct scores of people in one fell swoop without let or hinderance? Why do they always succeed in their nefariousness? Why is it that our security agents do not go after them? Why have our forests conveniently been ceded to terrorists? Indeed, what can be done about a country whose security agencies look morosely while terrorists overrun the land?
QUOTE:
“Are our forests impenetrable? Why have they been surrendered to terrorists? Why is the Nigerian government incapable of governing some of its spaces? Is our geographical space too large for the government to oversee?”
