By Vincent Egunyanga, Cajetan Mmuta, Ben Adoga, and David Lawani
A wave of fresh attacks, killings, and abductions sweeping through parts of Nigeria has triggered intense public outcry, with human rights advocates, legal experts, political leaders, and security analysts calling for urgent and decisive action from the federal government.
From Benue to Plateau, Niger to Kaduna, gunmen, often labelled as terrorists, bandits, or unknown assailants, have continued their relentless onslaught on communities, leaving scores dead and dozens kidnapped, sparking fears of a full-blown breakdown of national security.
In Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State, the latest incident saw heavily armed assailants unleash terror in the Agagbe community, killing over a dozen people and injuring several others.
In reaction, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the assault as “barbaric and unacceptable,” urging security agencies “to go after the attackers and bring them to justice.”
Joining the chorus of condemnation, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu expressed deep concern over the spate of killings and kidnappings nationwide.
“I’m deeply saddened by the rising spate of insecurity across the country. The continuous killings and kidnappings are unacceptable,” Kalu stated.
Civil rights groups have also been vocal. The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), in a press statement signed by its National President, Dr Osagie Obayuwana, warned that the government’s apparent inaction was pushing the country to the brink.
“The federal government’s failure to contain these attacks is a violation of the fundamental right to life. What we are witnessing is not just a security lapse, but a dangerous erosion of state authority,” Obayuwana said.
“There is no political will to confront the crisis decisively. That, in itself, is complicity.”
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), through its Human Rights Committee, echoed the call for drastic reforms.
“The current centralised security model has failed. We must decentralise the security framework and allow states to manage their internal security,” said Barrister Jumoke Ibitoye, a member of the NBA’s committee.
“This is not a time for political platitudes but for pragmatic restructuring.”
The worsening insecurity has also drawn the ire of renowned human rights activist Aisha Yesufu.
“There’s a genocide happening in slow motion, and the silence from those who should act is complicit,” Yesufu said via social media.
“Nigerians are tired of mass graves, tired of condolences, tired of fear. We demand action, not another round of promises.”
In Niger State, over 50 villagers were reportedly kidnapped last week in Shiroro LGA, with abductors demanding over N100m in ransom.
Similar abductions occurred along the Abuja-Kaduna highway and in rural Kaduna communities. Plateau State’s Mangu Local Government Area also witnessed fresh attacks, barely months after the Christmas Eve massacre that claimed more than 140 lives.
While the federal government insists efforts are ongoing to address the situation, many remain sceptical.
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, during a recent briefing, reiterated the government’s commitment to safeguarding the lives and interests of Nigerians.
“We are fully committed to defeating these criminal elements. Nigerians will soon feel the results of our intensified operations and investments in surveillance and logistics,” he assured.
But security experts argue that the time for waiting has long passed. Retired military intelligence officer Gen Kunle Olawunmi (retd) proposed a more radical approach.
“We need to adopt a hybrid model—community policing, localised intelligence units, and private security integration,” he said.
“You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”
Prominent religious leader Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese called for a unified national response.
“This is not the time for partisan blame games. This is the time for a national security consensus,” Kukah said.
“Every Nigerian life matters, and until we act on that belief, the killings will continue.”
At the grassroots, despair is palpable. Chief Terngu Tarka, a community elder in Benue, called on President Bola Tinubu to personally visit affected areas and assure the people of tangible action.
“We appreciate statements from Abuja, but our people want to see the President. Let him come and speak to the victims, visit the graves, and announce concrete measures. Enough is enough,” Tarka pleaded.
Human rights activist and Coordinator of the Recover Nigeria Project (RNP), Comrade Osita Obi, in reaction, said, “The government uses this security situation to defraud the people. It can only stop when the people begin to interrogate the system and demand accounts from corrupt political elites.
“Corrupt-minded political elites cause the situation. They instigate this thing to distract the citizens; when the activities of Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers are on the rise, there will be huge budgetary allocation to security, and when this budget is made, they will corner a substantial part of it to their private bank accounts and smile.”
Ejiofo Umegbogu, a human rights lawyer and good governance advocate, said, “Buck passing and the blame game is the tactics usually employed by failed leaders who want to position themselves for political positions whenever another election cycle draws near.”
Additionally, a senior lawyer, Emeka Agbapuonwu, stated that President Tinubu was being cautious in addressing sensitive and questionable issues surrounding Boko Haram, banditry, and kidnappings in the Northeast, Northwest, and other northern parts of the country due to the block votes that come from the zone ahead of the 2027 election.
Agbapuonwu urged the President not to disregard the dangerous onslaught mounted by insurgents and criminal elements on the citizens once he secured re-election for a second term in office in 2027.
