NIGERIA is under siege. Kidnappers strike across the nation, from Niger and Kogi to Kwara, Borno, Zamfara, and beyond. Students are snatched from schools, travellers ambushed on highways, worshippers abducted during prayer. And yet political leadership continues to respond with statements and expressions of concern, while citizens pay the ultimate price.
Recent months have revealed a troubling pattern. Kidnappers are operating with impunity, exploiting weaknesses in policy, coordination, and governance. On the Kogi highways, commuters still face ambushes along stretches connecting the North and South. In Kwara, worshippers have been taken from churches in rural communities during evening services. Across the North-West and North-East, rural villages continue to experience raids, with residents reporting mass abductions and ransom demands. Even in the South, isolated roads and forested areas have become hunting grounds, forcing families into a state of constant fear.
What is striking is the consistency of the failure. Security agencies remain reactive, intelligence is delayed, and coordination across states is almost nonexistent. Kidnappers exploit this vacuum. They strike swiftly, disappear into the forests, and leave families to raise ransoms, often with little hope of timely rescue. Meanwhile, politicians issue statements about resolving the situation while the cycle repeats.
Ordinary Nigerians, as usual, are left to fend for themselves. Community vigilante groups patrol villages at night. Youth organizations run awareness programs on safety and trafficking. Families scrape together ransoms from neighbours, relatives, and local donations. Heroic as these efforts are, they are not a substitute for the state’s fundamental duty, protecting its citizens.
Kidnapping is no longer merely a criminal problem. It is a national governance crisis. When children cannot safely attend school, when travellers fear essential highways, and when worshippers fear their places of prayer, the nation shrinks in every direction. Economic activity slows. Education suffers. Communities lose faith in leadership. Fear becomes a constant companion, shaping daily life and eroding the fabric of society.
The recent surge across multiple states is a wake-up call. Leadership cannot continue to issue empty reassurances or rely on reactive measures. Nigeria needs intelligence-driven operations, technology-assisted surveillance, and inter-state security coordination. Politicians and security chiefs must be held accountable when lapses allow armed groups to continue their campaigns unimpeded. Anything less is not just negligence, it is complicity.
And yet, amid the despair, there is resilience. Communities across the country are adapting. Night patrols are increasing, schools are reviewing security measures, neighbourhood alert networks are emerging, and youth advocacy groups are teaching students and residents how to respond to threats. These efforts are commendable, but a nation cannot survive on the courage of its citizens alone.
The truth is stark. Fear in Nigeria today is not simply the product of insecurity. It is a reflection of leadership failure. Until leaders act decisively, Nigerians will continue to pay the price, one abduction at a time, one highway ambush at a time, one family torn apart at a time.
We must demand more. The state must demonstrate that it values the lives of its citizens over empty political rhetoric. Kidnappers may be organized, but Nigeria is larger, stronger, and capable if leadership has the courage to act.
Fear is not inevitable. Inaction is. It is the latter that will determine whether this nation survives or continues to crumble under its own leadership failures.
- West is a seasoned journalist and development practitioner with over a decade of experience in media, human rights advocacy, and NGO leadership. Her syndicated column, The Wednesday Lens, is published every Wednesday in News Point Nigeria newspaper. She can be reached at bomawest111@gmail.com.
