By Punch Editorial Board, June 9, 2026
Violence is rapidly becoming the defining feature of life in Nigeria. That is a frightening reality. The growing audacity with which terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements operate across the country has become both alarming and deeply embarrassing.
Hardly any part of Nigeria can still be described as truly safe. The security crisis is worsening by the day, and increasingly it is the terrorists, not the state, who appear to be dictating the pace of events. This is unacceptable.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Tinubu must rise to the occasion and act decisively.
On June 1, 2026, bandits stormed Ayegunle Bunu community in Kabba-Bunu LGA of Kogi State, kidnapping about 25 people, including passengers travelling in a commercial bus.
Two people were killed, and five others were injured during the attack. Although troops of the 12 Brigade later rescued 23 of the kidnapped passengers, the incident once again exposed the vulnerability of ordinary Nigerians who now travel at great personal risk.
In Plateau State, the bloodletting has become disturbingly frequent. Several attacks in recent weeks have left more than 100 people dead. On May 31, terrorists invaded Gwom-Ajang village in the Foron District, killing eight people and injuring over 15 others. The victims were buried in a mass grave on June 2 amid anguish and despair.
The Easter period was particularly tragic. Terrorists unleashed mayhem across Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Borno states.
In Benue, at least 17 people were killed in Mbalom, Gwer East LGA, while houses were set ablaze. Many residents remain unaccounted for.
At Ariko community in Kachia LGA of Kaduna State, terrorists attacked worshippers on Easter Sunday, killing about seven people and abducting others during assaults on First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church.
In Kwara State, criminals invaded Yashikira community in Baruten LGA on May 24, burning the palace of the emir and abducting several residents, including the emir’s wives, women and children.
In Katsina State, insecurity struck even at the heart of the country’s security establishment.
Terrorists ambushed and abducted a former Director of Defence Information, Rabe Abubakar Batsari, a retired major general, and his wife on the Marabar Musawa-Kafinsoli Highway in Matazu LGA on May 30.
In Oyo State, terrorists kidnapped the younger sister of the immediate past Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and her twin sons in Ibadan on June 3.
The victim, Olaide Adegoke, 43, was reportedly on her way to drop her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, at school when the kidnappers struck around 7.30 a.m. They were released on June 7.
Before that incident, terrorists had carried out a coordinated attack on three schools in Oriire LGA of Oyo State on May 15. They killed two people and abducted about 39 pupils and seven teachers. More than three weeks later, many of the victims were still awaiting freedom.
A similar tragedy unfolded in Asira-Uba LGA of Borno State on the same day, where over 40 schoolchildren were abducted. Some of the victims are nursery school pupils. They, too, remain in captivity.
Reports indicate that more than 600 students and teachers have been abducted from schools across Nigeria between March 2024 and May 2026. These figures are staggering. Yet they represent only a fraction of the wider insecurity ravaging communities nationwide.
The numbers are devastating. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project reported about 12,000 conflict-related deaths in 2025.
Abuja-based Beacon Security and Intelligence reported an 11.27 per cent uptick in crime, with 612 incidents in April, up from 550 in March. The abduction figures rose from 345 in March to 709 in April, representing a 105.51 per cent increase. Deaths increased by 36.04 per cent, from 777 in March to 1,057 in April.
Boko Haram, however, released 360 captives from the Ngoshe area of Borno State on Sunday.
The unavoidable conclusion is that government efforts have fallen short. The security architecture is clearly not delivering the level of protection Nigerians deserve.
More troubling are growing indications of internal compromise. Increasingly, evidence suggests that criminal elements have infiltrated government institutions and security agencies.
Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda recently provided a disturbing glimpse into the scale of the problem.
According to him, terrorists obtain information about government plans almost instantly. He revealed that barely five minutes after a high-level security meeting he convened, a notorious bandit leader known as Mohammed was already aware of what had been discussed.
Nothing illustrates the depth of the intelligence failure more starkly than that revelation. A security system that leaks sensitive operational information to criminals cannot effectively protect citizens.
Beyond these institutional weaknesses, Nigeria’s harsh socio-economic conditions have also fuelled the kidnapping epidemic.
High unemployment, poverty, inflation and shrinking economic opportunities have created a fertile recruitment ground for criminal gangs. Kidnapping has evolved into a lucrative industry, with ransom payments sustaining and expanding the operations of terrorist networks.
Some supporters of the government have sought to blame the worsening security situation on opposition forces.
Such arguments are not only simplistic but also self-serving. By that logic, was it the opposition that was responsible for insecurity when the current ruling party occupied that position? Governance demands accountability, not excuses.
The question Nigerians are increasingly asking is simple: Where is the President? Where should citizens turn when communities are under siege, and lives are being lost almost daily?
Unfortunately, President Tinubu often appears more visible in the politics of 2027 than in the battle against the insecurity threatening the country’s very foundation.
This perception may be unfair in some respects, but perceptions matter in leadership. At a time when citizens are desperate for reassurance, the President must demonstrate through words and actions that securing lives and property remains his foremost priority.
The security strategy itself requires urgent recalibration. The defence chiefs must move beyond a largely reactive posture and embrace a proactive, intelligence-driven approach.
The country’s counter-intelligence capabilities require a complete overhaul. Security agencies must identify and eliminate internal collaborators who continue to leak operational information to terrorists and bandits.
The government should build on support and intelligence-sharing arrangements offered by international partners, including the United States.
Greater investment in surveillance technology, drones, satellite monitoring and intelligence gathering is essential if criminal groups are to be tracked and neutralised effectively.
The long-running debate over state police should no longer be treated as a political abstraction. The scale and complexity of Nigeria’s security challenges increasingly demand decentralised policing structures that can respond swiftly to local threats.
Equally important is the role of citizens. Security cannot be left entirely to government agencies.
Communities must remain vigilant and cooperate with law enforcement through credible intelligence sharing. However, citizens can only do so when they trust that the information they provide will not be compromised by insiders.
Nigeria is approaching a dangerous tipping point. The normalisation of violence must not be allowed to continue. It is in the interest of every Nigerian, including Tinubu himself, that the tide is reversed.
The President’s reputation, the credibility of his administration and the standing of the ruling APC are on the line.
Crucially, the lives and futures of millions of Nigerians are at stake.
The time for expressions of concern has passed. What the country urgently requires now is decisive leadership, effective action and measurable results.
