Nigeria is bleeding—literally and financially.
According to media reports, at least 5,272 people were killed in violent circumstances within the first five months of this year. This grim statistic underscores a worsening security crisis that has left citizens fearful, communities devastated, and confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives increasingly eroded.
The situation is particularly alarming because it persists despite huge government expenditure on security. Reports indicate that Nigeria spent N57.78 billion on security in the first four months of this year alone, representing a staggering 127.97 per cent increase over expenditure during the same period last year.
Yet, insecurity continues to spread across the country, raising troubling questions about the effectiveness of existing security strategies.
The Nigeria Police Force itself recently disclosed that there were 51 violent attacks within a single week across several states, including Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Kebbi.
These incidents comprised 27 bandit attacks and 24 kidnappings. Such figures reveal a country under siege, where criminal groups appear increasingly emboldened and capable of operating at will, unchecked.
In Zamfara State, 39 people were reportedly kidnapped while negotiating a so-called peace deal with a notorious bandit leader.
In Katsina State, 11 passengers were reportedly abducted by bandits even as the state mourned the death of a retired general, Rabe Abubakar.
The general was kidnapped alongside his wife while travelling on May 30. His death in captivity highlights the grim reality that neither status nor service to the country guarantees protection from criminal elements.
Meanwhile, more than 40 Oyo State schoolchildren and their teachers remain in captivity, more than a month after being abducted. Their prolonged ordeal is a painful reminder of the human cost of Nigeria’s insecurity and the trauma inflicted on families, schools and communities.
To underscore the threat, President Bola Tinubu transmitted a bill to parliament on Tuesday to create state police.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, recently announced that approximately 150 terrorists have been convicted out of about 300 currently facing trial.
This development deserves recognition. It demonstrates that government institutions are making efforts to hold perpetrators accountable and strengthen the rule of law.
However, the figures expose the frightening scale of the threat confronting the country.
Hundreds of individuals are standing trial for terrorism-related offences. Beyond the criminality involved lies a deeper tragedy: many of these individuals could have been productive citizens contributing to national development rather than undermining it.
Nigeria is bleeding in this respect, too.
The country’s fourth position on the Global Terrorism Index should concern every citizen and every level of government. Terrorism and violent criminality are no longer isolated challenges confined to remote areas. They have become national threats affecting every region and every social class.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, legal practitioners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders have voiced fears that widespread insecurity could pose significant challenges to the conduct of the 2027 general elections. Elections cannot flourish where citizens are unable to move freely, gather safely or participate without fear.
While insecurity often worsens as election seasons approach, owing partly to political distractions and heightened tensions, elections alone cannot explain the depth of Nigeria’s security crisis. The more fundamental problem lies in policy inconsistency, inadequate coordination and the absence of a comprehensive, long-term counterterrorism strategy.
Today, terrorism and banditry seem to have overtaken large parts of the country. Schools are unsafe. Places of worship and highways are vulnerable. Even homes no longer guarantee security. Citizens increasingly feel exposed and abandoned.
The government must focus not only on the gunmen but also on the broader ecosystem that sustains terrorism and banditry. Criminal networks do not operate in isolation. They depend on suppliers, informants, financiers, transporters and collaborators who provide logistics and intelligence.
A recent example emerged in mid-June when the Federal Capital Territory Police Command arrested four suspects, including a pregnant woman allegedly serving as a cook and logistics supplier to bandits operating barely a kilometre from the FCT border. Such cases illustrate the hidden networks that enable violent groups to survive and expand.
These collaborators keep terrorists in business. They must be identified, prosecuted and removed from the system.
Security experts have also warned that if terrorist groups are not decisively crushed, they will increasingly target politically exposed persons and other prominent figures.
The government must therefore overhaul its counterinsurgency strategy. Security agencies require stronger coordination, better intelligence gathering and greater accountability.
Allegations that some security personnel have sold weapons to criminal groups must be thoroughly investigated and punished wherever proven. The integrity of the security architecture must not be compromised from within.
The terror ecosystem must be drained. The government must dismantle criminal networks, disrupt their funding and logistics, and win the confidence of citizens whose intelligence is critical to preventing attacks.
Nigeria cannot continue to spend more on security while becoming less secure. The country is bleeding, and the wounds are deepening.
