By Punch Editorial Board, May 22, 2026
FOR more than 15 years, the people of Borno State have borne, perhaps more than any other Nigerians, the crushing burden of Salafist terrorism. They have buried loved ones, fled burning communities, watched their farms destroyed, and endured repeated abductions, bombings and killings. This tragedy must stop.
Yet when some residents recently attempted to stage a peaceful protest in Maiduguri to draw attention to their plight and demand stronger security action, they were confronted with tanks, armoured personnel carriers and armed soldiers.
This is needless, insensitive and a troubling overkill. It amounts to beating a child and warning it not to cry.
The Army reportedly deployed tanks and heavily armed personnel to Filling Polo, the venue of the planned protest, forcing the demonstrators to withdraw.
Samaila Kaigama, leader of the protesters, said the atmosphere created by the military deployment made it impossible for citizens to continue with the demonstration. That development is deeply disturbing in a constitutional democracy.
The protesters were not terrorists. They were victims of terror. They were grieving citizens just asking the state to protect them.
Kaigama accused the State government of orchestrating the military blockade. Whether that allegation is true or not, the optics are terrible, and the implications are dangerous.
A democratic government should never appear hostile to citizens expressing pain over insecurity, especially in a state that has suffered such unimaginable devastation.
Unfortunately, Nigeria has developed a worrying notoriety for suppressing protests and civic expression.
In 2024, police cracked down on citizens protesting hunger and economic hardship across the country. Many demonstrators were arrested, including minors who were reportedly detained under harsh conditions and starved.
The following year, protests against bad governance were dispersed with tear gas and intimidation. Yet pro-government rallies and marches often enjoy protection and logistical support from security agencies.
This selective tolerance flies directly in the face of democracy and civic freedoms. The right to peaceful assembly and protest is guaranteed under the Constitution.
Security agencies are meant to protect protesters, not intimidate them into silence.
Citizens are protesting against the governments in Venezuela and Israel. Despite being aggressive, the police in Caracas did not prevent the protests, nor did they shoot at the protesters. Nigeria’s security agencies should imbibe this example.
Borno remains the epicentre of terrorism in Nigeria. Governor Babagana Zulum himself has repeatedly warned that the state risks being overrun if stronger military action is not taken against terrorists.
In early April, about 416 people, mostly women and children, were abducted in Ngoshe, in Gwoza Local Government Area. Their abductors, identified as Boko Haram insurgents, demanded N5 billion ransom, threatening to kill the victims if the demand was not met. Such horrors have become tragically routine in parts of the North-East.
On March 16, at least 23 persons were killed in a suicide attack in Maiduguri, while about 108 others sustained injuries.
Because of the prolonged insurgency in Borno and other parts of the country, Nigeria is now ranked the fourth most terrorised country globally, an alarming deterioration from its sixth position just a year earlier.
This should provoke urgency and sober reflection among political leaders and security authorities.
There have been occasional military successes. Reports indicate that the ISIS “number two man,” Abu Bilal al-Minuki, was killed in a joint US-Nigeria military operation in Borno State on May 17.
Such operations show that determined military action can yield results. But isolated victories cannot substitute for a coherent and sustained anti-terror strategy.
So far, the government has failed to articulate a clear and convincing counterterrorism plan capable of reassuring Nigerians. Security officials often appear to work at cross purposes. At times, terrorists are described as “our brothers” or “prodigal sons.”
This sort of language weakens public confidence in the seriousness of the fight against insurgency.
Nigerians expect the state to decisively confront terrorists, their sponsors and enablers — not romanticise them.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has acknowledged that over two million Nigerians are currently living in IDP camps and that over 100,000 people have been killed by terrorists.
Behind those grim numbers are human beings with names, histories and families. Victims of terror are not mere statistics. They are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, children, brothers and sisters whose lives have been shattered.
That is why the Army’s reported decision to deploy tanks against traumatised protesters is utterly indefensible.
Rather than directing overwhelming force against terrorists operating in forests and remote communities, the military turned its strength against hurting citizens trying to express their anguish.
Nigeria must learn from other democracies where law enforcement agencies protect peaceful protesters even when governments disagree with their message. Democracies thrive not by silencing dissent but by listening to it.
Nigeria is a constitutional democracy, not a garrison state. Citizens have a right to protest, to grieve publicly and to demand accountability from those entrusted with their security.
Suppressing protests will not end terrorism. Intimidating victims will not erase their pain. It rather deepens public frustration and widens the gulf between the people and the state.
The people of Borno deserve compassion, protection and justice — not tanks.