MY BELOVED NIGERIA

In 2009, I was selected to attend a one-week programme led by Reverend Father John Saukor and Reverend Father Longji Peter Joseph at the Society Mission for Africa, held at a Seminary House in Kagoro, Kaduna State. Participants included youths from various Northern states.  

The Holy Family Catholic Church, Life Camp, provided a Hummer bus for our journey. En route, just before Kafanchan town in Kaduna, our driver noticed no vehicles approaching from the opposite direction. Cautiously, he slowed down. Suddenly, we heard intense gunshots in the distance. About 20 minutes later, a small red Golf car pulled up beside us. A soldier in combat gear emerged and demanded; Where are the armed robbers. Trembling, we replied that we had no idea the gunshots originated ahead of us. The soldier then drove off.  

We waited roadside until multiple vehicles approached from the direction of the attack. Only then did we proceed. At the robbery site, we stopped to investigate and learned the assailants were Fulani bandits from Niger Republic non-Nigerian speakers.  

Nigeria’s Enduring Security Crisis.

 

This incident reflects a security crisis that has plagued Nigeria for too long. The situation is complex, often entangled with tribalism, religion, land disputes, and low intelligence gathering. I deeply sympathize with our soldiers this multifaceted war is not one the military alone can solve.  

The Police vs. Military Dilemma .

Policing internal security should primarily fall to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), not the army. Yet the NPF is severely understaffed: How can a nation of 250 million people have fewer than 1 million police officers. Where is the manpower to combat crime. Instead, much of the police force is diverted to protecting politicians, religious leaders, celebrities, and corporate elites.  

Systemic Failures & Border Negligence.

  

1. Unchecked Invasions: For years, Nigeria has tolerated unchecked influxes of armed groups across porous borders. While joint task forces target oil bunkering, no equivalent force monitors illegal mining or armed incursions in the North.  

2. Misplaced Military Presence: In serious nations, forests and border zones host strategic military installations. In Nigeria, soldiers train on blocked pedestrian roads in urban areas like Asokoro not in critical forests like Sambisa. Armed groups enter, attack, and exit freely.  

3. Counterproductive "Repentance" Policies: Soldiers are trained to neutralize threats, not feed terrorists and label them "repentant." Rehabilitation is for religious/community leaders not combat units.  

4. Untouched Sponsors: Terrorists wield million-dollar weaponry despite having no visible means of sustenance. Yet no sponsors face arrest. Without dismantling these networks, victories remain illusory.  

The Way Forward  

-Reprioritize Policing: Strengthen NPF recruitment, training, and equipment for internal security.  

-Secure Borders & Forests: Establish permanent military/civilian task forces in high-risk forests and border regions.  

-Target Sponsors: Follow the money; expose and prosecute terrorism financiers.  

-Community-Intelligence Training. Security forces need skills to identify local collaborators and infiltrate networks.  

Our military’s perceived failures stem from misapplication, not incapability. Even with advanced weapons, they lack the mandate, training, and community-intelligence framework for this hybrid warfare.  

This is not criticism it’s a plea from a Nigerian who dearly loves this nation. We must confront these truths to reclaim our security.

Until the moment when will shall dance in white Greater Grace. 🙏

Jonah Osagie Oyugbo