NIGERIA needs a collective anger to stem the ravaging tide of terrorism and banditory. We need an anger that spreads from homes and communities devastated by terrorism to the corridors of power in Abuja and every state capital across the federation.
When a governor must publicly appeal for help to secure the release of innocent citizens held captive by terrorists for over a month, something is fundamentally wrong. Recently, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde appealed for deeper collaboration with security agencies to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area. Across the country, similar stories have become disturbingly common. The tragedy is no longer limited to ordinary citizens. Even those entrusted with the nation’s security have become targets.
Within the last few years, Nigeria has lost senior military officers to terrorist attacks. Brigadier General Oseni Braimah was killed during an insurgent attack on a military base in Borno State in April 2026. Months earlier, Brigadier General Musa Uba, commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, was ambushed, captured, and eventually killed by terrorists.
Retired Major General Abubakar Rabe, former Director of Defence Information, was abducted alongside his wife in Katsina State. He later died in captivity before his wife was rescued by security forces.
The attacks have also extended to traditional institutions. Across parts of Kwara State, dozens of Yoruba monarchs and community leaders have reportedly abandoned their palaces because of relentless kidnappings, invasions, and killings by armed bandits. Oba Salman Aweda died in captivity after being abducted from his palace. Oba Segun Aremu was murdered in his palace, while his wife was kidnapped. Other monarchs have suffered similar fates.
A nation where generals and traditional rulers are hunted by criminals cannot honestly claim that its citizens are secure. Geoffrey Chaucer, in a metaphor to critique the leadership and clergy of his day once asked, “if gold rust, what shall iron do?” If those at the highest levels of society are vulnerable, what hope remains for ordinary citizens?
The principle of esprit de corps suggests that the repeated killing of serving and retired military officers should provoke a determined national response. The primary duty of government is the protection of life and property. Citizens expect the full weight of state power to be directed against terrorists and bandits, not against peaceful protesters demanding accountability from elected leaders. History shows that governments often respond decisively when national security is threatened.
In 1972, following the Munich massacre in which Israeli athletes were murdered by terrorists, Israel launched a sustained intelligence campaign to pursue those responsible. After the September 11 attacks, the United States mobilised all instruments of national power in a global war against terrorism. Sri Lanka ultimately defeated the Tamil Tigers through coordinated military, political, and economic measures after decades of insurgency in 2009.
Nigeria itself has demonstrated such resolve in the past. During the period leading to the Nigerian Civil War, in 196, the Federal Government mobilized significant military, political, and diplomatic resources to preserve territorial integrity. In 1999, following the killing of twelve police officers in Odi, Bayelsa State, the Federal Government responded with overwhelming force. Whether one agrees with that action or not, it revealed the extent to which the Nigerian state could react when its authority was challenged.
Today, however, many Nigerians perceive a troubling disconnect between the scale of the security crisis and the intensity of the government’s response. The persistence of kidnappings, ransom demands, and mass killings has created a growing impression that the nation is becoming dangerously accustomed to insecurity.
This perception is particularly troubling given the existence of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which prescribes severe penalties, including capital punishment in certain cases involving terrorism, hostage-taking, and acts resulting in death.
There is already anger in the land. Families who have buried loved ones are angry. Communities displaced by violence are angry. Citizens living in fear are angry. But public anger alone cannot solve the problem. It must inspire action from those entrusted with the authority to govern.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and leaders at every level of government must demonstrate, through visible and sustained action, that the lives of Nigerians matter more than political calculations. Terrorists and bandits should not be allowed to dictate the terms of national life.
Nigeria needs a coordinated national response that combines military action, intelligence gathering, law enforcement, judicial effectiveness, and political will. The forests and hideouts from which criminals launch their attacks must no longer remain safe havens.
History teaches that nations survive grave security threats when governments treat them as national emergencies. Nigeria must do the same. The nation is at war.
The time has come for collective anger. We need more than the anger expressed in words alone. We need the anger translated into decisive action, sustained commitment, and an unambiguous determination to reclaim every inch of the nation from terrorists and bandits.
- Adeduro PhD, a productivity consultant and a public affairs analyst, lives in Lagos.