It is painfully clear that insecurity in Nigeria has escalated to the pinnacle of crisis, with the audacity of terrorists surpassing every conceivable limit. Nowhere is this more ruthlessly exposed than in the capture and execution of a serving Brigadier General; a one-star officer, senior commander, ranking just below a Major General and among the five highest-ranking officers in the Nigerian Army. Such is a searing indictment of our security apparatus.
In the U.S. system, a Brigadier General is equivalent to an O-7; a military leader who commands thousands of troops, commands and brigade, and sensitive operations. When terrorists can ambush and execute someone at that altitude, it sends a message more disturbing than the act itself: if a general can be killed like a Grasscutter, then who, truly, is safe? It is an indictment of Nigeria’s security structure and a warning flare that the walls meant to shield the rest of us have long been breached.
Northern Nigeria has long been an arena of relentless bloodshed, but recently the pace of killings, kidnappings, and mass slaughters by terrorists has surged to alarming heights. Strangely, the violence intensified after the U.S. President’s statement about the ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria. The international attention appeared to irritate the terrorists, and what has followed has been a terrifying avalanche of attacks, daily. The Nigerian government however slipped into denials, defensive melodrama, and media propaganda. More energy goes into rebutting the killings than confronting the killers.
I strongly believe the Nigerian military possesses the hardware, intelligence systems, and operational depth to dismantle these terrorism networks. But capability without resolve is mere façade. What Nigeria has lacked, consistently, is unapologetic political will: the courage to align interests, cut off the corrupt networks and connections that allow powerful people to benefit from the system while blocking real progress, and endure short-term political discomfort for long-term security. Without this backbone, military operations remain useless.
Nigeria needs a leadership willing to act even when the action is politically costly. It is no secret that the sponsors of terrorism and insurgency belong to the powerful political and economic circles in Nigeria, the same circles political leaders including the president rely on during elections. Political leaders know who these people are. They possess intelligence that identifies them, yet hesitate because uprooting them could fracture their political alliances or topple the pillars of electoral survival. But this hesitation is precisely what sustains the bloodshed. Nigeria requires a daring leader prepared to step on toes, unflinchingly, to uproot those who bankroll violence, no matter their wealth, tribe, status, influence, or political value. Political will, in moments like this, is courage with consequences.
What Would Decisive Political Will Look Like?
First, a ruthless cleansing of the security architecture. Boko Haram sympathizers, saboteur, apologists and enablers exist within the Nigerian military, and until that underbelly is scrubbed, no amount of firepower will suffice.
Second, we must embrace state and community policing. This delay has become indefensible. I have always been a proponent for state/community policing. The government needs to act on this immediately.
Third, track and prosecute the sponsors. This is the fulcrum of the entire fight, and it is precisely where genuine political will is tested. Nigeria’s intelligence units know the sponsors of terrorism. The challenge has never been intelligence; it has been courage. If the financiers of terror are not plucked out, no tactical success can be sustained.
Forth, secure the borders. The immediate past Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa, openly advocated building a physical fence for our borders especially the Northern borders. This is practical and achievable. Our borders are too porous.
All of these require a government prepared to act. Nigerians are tired of half-measures decorated with asinine propaganda.
Finally, until there is courage in governance, every military effort will remain a shallow action against the well-funded terrorists. Without fearless leadership that dares to confront the powerful sponsors of violence, these victories will never come.
A working national security demands that bravery on the battlefield be matched by bold decisions of leaders, that accountability is enforced without fear, and that the state itself refuses to cower before those who destabilize it. Only then can the cycle of bloodshed be broken, and the nation reclaims its dignity and sovereignty.
If Nigeria intends to be sovereign, then sovereignty must be exercised. If terrorists can operate without restraint and even captured and executed a Brigadier General, then what claim to sovereignty does Nigeria really have?
