Tolling Bells of Terrorism in Nigeria
By Elempe Dele
Terrorists in Nigeria continue to demand blood. The reasons remain murky, yet their path of death since 2009 is undeniable.
These groups are not confined to our borders—they operate across Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and Niger, controlling vast territories in the Sahel and West Africa while targeting soldiers and innocent civilians alike.
The recent surge in attacks, particularly the abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State’s Oriire LGA, defies rational explanation. Gunmen struck multiple schools on May 15, killing at least two teachers (with reports of beheading) and abducting dozens of pupils and educators, many of whom remain in captivity. Politics may distort the response, but public distrust in a government failing to deliver security is both understandable and dangerous. Disinformation only worsens the crisis. We are all in this together—no one is truly safe. These extremists strike indiscriminately; every citizen is a potential victim.
*Southward Push and Ruthless Agenda*
Under pressure from Nigerian military operations, often supported by international partners, terrorists and bandits have shifted southward. They wage war on both the state and unarmed civilians, killing and kidnapping for ransom to sustain their operations. Surrender is rare; they embrace death or capture, styling themselves as heroes or martyrs. As an optimist, I refuse to celebrate such barbarity.
Lives are shattered daily by actors whose motives blend ideology, criminality, and perhaps deeper evil. Are they inherently wicked, or shaped by religious indoctrination and societal failures? Nothing justifies the arbitrary slaughter of innocents. After years of suffering—from Chibok to Dapchi, Yobe, and now Oyo—Nigerians have endured enough. It is time to prioritize state police: localized protective units equipped with modern arms, professional training, and adequate funding.
*The Case for Decentralized Security*
Nigeria’s federal police force—approximately 400,000 officers—cannot adequately safeguard over 200 million people across vast, often ungoverned spaces. Centralized control has proven inadequate: slow response times, poor equipment, low motivation, and corruption undermine effectiveness. Past skepticism toward state police, rooted in fears of political abuse by governors, is understandable. Yet today’s reality dwarfs those concerns. The lesser evil is imperfect state-level policing rather than continued national vulnerability.
State governments must establish well-regulated police forces. Complementary armed, trained, and properly compensated vigilante or community security networks can fill immediate gaps. We cannot allow terrorists a monopoly on brutality. Decentralized security brings protection closer to communities while maintaining national coordination for cross-border and heavy threats.
*A Collective Toll*
The violence touches everyone—physically or psychologically. The mental scars on survivors, especially children and rape victims, are permanent. No speech or slogan can erase the trauma or the disturbing enthusiasm with which these attackers inflict pain. The images of kidnapped school children haunt the nation. The era of pretense must end. Fear now reshapes daily life under the shadow of death. Anger and protests are justified, but they are not solutions. Only structured reform—“legal self-help” through well-resourced, accountable policing—can address this crisis. The constitutional framework for state police is reportedly advancing; it should be fast-tracked with safeguards against abuse.
The bells of terrorism toll louder each day. The solution lies within our reach: reject excuses for evil, demand courage from leaders, and build security systems that match the scale and nature of the threat. Centralized inadequacy has failed us. Decentralized resolve must now prevail.
Elempe Dele wrote from Akoko-Edo.
