Insecurity: Nigerians demand end to prevalent killings, want terror sponsors prosecuted

A spate of public outcry has surged against the recent security alert from the Department of State Services (DSS), alerting community and religious leaders of a plot by some politicians and terrorists to frustrate the 2027 election.

The development came as worsening security situation raises concerns about the fate of one of Africa’s best technology institutes, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) where incidents of student kidnapping and killings have become as regular as weekly.

For almost two decades, the country has grappled with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of violent crime, leaving thousands dead and many more displaced. The consequences have extended from the battlefield into homes, schools, farms, businesses and communities, undermining social cohesion and economic productivity.

The rise of Boko Haram in the North-East and the emergence of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) subsequently embedded Nigeria within the wider transnational jihadist threat. Violence associated with the insurgency has also spilled across the Lake Chad Basin, demonstrating how terrorist networks can exploit national borders and the inability of individual states to contain them in isolation.

Yet Nigeria’s security crisis has transcended the North-East, and the country has simultaneously experienced banditry, kidnapping and armed attacks across different regions. Residents increasingly report fear, displacement and declining economic activity.

Daily Champion correspondents who surveyed the security situation across the country found communities living in fear, with insecurity particularly affecting farming and other forms of socioeconomic productivity.

The expanding geographical reach of insecurity was highlighted by recent warnings in Osun State, where the Department of State Services (DSS) alerted Muslim and Christian leaders to an alleged plot by terrorists and some politicians to frustrate the 2027 general elections.

The intelligence report reportedly warned of plans to spread insecurity into southern Nigeria, particularly the South-West, with attacks on places of worship and centers of public gathering.

According to credible sources, the planned attacks are intended to create tension and potentially discourage mass participation in the upcoming elections.

The President of the Osun State Muslim Community, Mustapha Olawuyi, confirmed that the DSS had met with religious leaders and advised them to take preventive measures.

“The DSS from Abuja warned us about a plot by some politicians and terrorists to frustrate the 2027 election, and for every one of us to be careful,” he said.

He added that the officers had intelligence that terrorists would mobilise towards the southern part of the country and the South-West “especially to cause mayhem so that the election may not hold or cause apathy.”

He said, “The meeting is true; it was held on Wednesday in Osogbo. We need to be careful and vigilant. These people (terrorists) have been trying to infiltrate Osun for quite some time.

“We had, some time ago, sent back some herders, numbering about 200, who flooded Osun from the Ikirun axis. There were also some individuals who came into the state on motorcycles. They didn’t understand our language and we had to send them back. The DSS is doing a very good job in terms of intelligence and alerting the people.

“The DSS from Abuja warned us about a plot by some politicians and terrorists to frustrate the 2027 election, and for every one of us to be careful.

“The officers said they had intelligence that the terrorists would mobilise to the southern part of the country and the South-West, especially to cause mayhem so that the election may not hold or cause apathy,” he said.

The warning came against the backdrop of growing concern over attacks around the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, where repeated incidents of kidnapping and killings have heightened anxiety among students and residents.

The host community, Ihiagwa, has been described as a shadow of its former self following persistent attacks.

In the latest incident, on September 6, 2026, gunmen attacked the university community, killing a man suspected to be a manager of a commercial bank and abducting two female students.

Though, the school management has confirmed the safe release of two female students who had been admitted for medical care, harrowing experience of the university community and environs linger.

Reacting to the ugly and sudden development, some of the residents decried the development saying, “We in this area no longer sleep with our two eyes closed because we expect that the bandits could attack any time.”

Community leader Chief Norbert Asogwara called on the Imo State Police Command to act decisively to protect residents, while other residents complained that insecurity had restricted access to farms.

Chief Asogwara said the community is witnessing what has never happened in the community before, asking  Bosso to come out and do the right thing and save the unsuspecting and innocent people of the area.

According to him, “We are suspecting Fulani herders who have been menacing in the area in recent times.”

In her comment, Mrs Georgiana Dike stated that members of the community no longer have access to their farm following the continued disturbance of the herders.

The university’s Registrar, Chidozie Uba, said the circumstances surrounding the attack were under investigation and that the institution was engaging the relevant authorities over the safety of its students.

“Management assures students, staff, parents and the entire community that the safety and security of all members of the university community remains a top priority,” he said.

He added that security measures are being implemented in collaboration with the relevant security agencies

The management, he said, urged members of the university community to remain calm and vigilant, avoid unnecessary movement and promptly report any suspicious activities to the appropriate quarters

Imo State Command of the police stated its acknowledgement of security concerns along the Ihiagwa, Eziobodo, Obinze and Nekede axis, including kidnapping and cult-related activities, and said measures had been intensified to address the threats.

Bosso, through the command’s spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, said he had received in his office, the management of the university led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof INS Dozie on courtesy visit following the incident.

According to the police boss, the command acknowledged the reported security concern along the Ihiagwa, Eziobodo, Obinze and Nekede axis including kidnapping and cult related activities.

He assured that the command has intensified measures along the affected areas and was taking steps to address the identified threats.

The FUTO experience captures the changing character of Nigeria’s security crisis, as what was once largely viewed simply as Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East has become a much broader national challenge involving terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence and criminal networks.

In its reaction, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) identified the complicity of some critical elements and institutions and the deficit of the political will as some of the factors responsible for the country’s predicament as a result of insecurity.

The body said until the ruling class decides to face the reality on ground and stop chasing shadows, by putting politics aside and going after the criminals, the killings and kidnappings would continue.

Head of Information and Public Affairs of NLC, Comrade Benson Upah, wondered why the government that claims to be fighting insecurity is unable to name sponsors of terrorism, kidnapping and banditry in the country.

He said: “Now that we are all paying a price, either directly or indirectly, something will give way: either the terrorism industry or we as a nation.”

He urged the federal government to take the issue of insecurity seriously in order to protect lives and the lives and properties of Nigerians.

A former Deputy Governor of Kogi State and a chieftain of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Elder Simon Achuba, attributed the persistent insecurity in the country to corruption and poor handling of the nation’s resources; stating that the situation would remain the same until the right things are done.

He further tasked the government in power to strengthen the electoral process and ensure that the right people chosen by the people themselves are voted into power to manage the affairs of the country.

According to him: “There are reasons why insecurity remain unabated in the country. One of them is corruption. There is nothing corruption cannot kill. Corruption is the reason for insecurity. Corruption is the reason for unemployment; corruption is the reason for inflation; corruption is the reason for division and conflicts everywhere. If a country is corrupt, it will not do things justly. The issue is, if there is no corruption, why will a government not name those who are her enemies, if that government is aware of them. It means the government is on its own, is compromising.

“After God, is there anything greater than government? Why would government know those who are behind her problems and will not name them. It shows government has an interest. It cannot pretend that it doesn’t know the enemies of the people. Government on its own pronounced that it has identified the sponsors of terrorism and others in the country, then what is holding it from naming them. And even when it refused to name them, Saudi Arabia, the US have name them. Then, what have they done to those people. How have they handled them? So, if I know I am committing crime and I am sure that there is no consequences for that, I will continue in it. Understand that it is this same corruption that has made our military unequipped, not having the capacity to face the hoodlums.

“Technology today can keep Nigeria under a serious vigilance, that anywhere you are in the bush, you can be tracked. Why can’t we put our resources in that direction. Protection of lives and properties is the foremost responsibility of government. That is making sure that the people are secure. Why is Nigeria not taking that step in making sure that, that responsibility is accomplished? It is because of corruption. Closely related to that is bad governance. Corruption makes the electoral process somehow crooked.

“Today, on the corridor of power, those who manage the affairs of Nigeria, 20 percent of them are not clean. If this category of people is in charge, what do you expect? It is crime. And so, insecurity is of their own interest, if some of them are not even participants. Because that is what brought them to power and they will definitely sustain it. So, we need a holistic approach to the issue of insecurity in the country. And the sure way to this is electing leaders who have the love of the country at heart.

A traditional ruler of Nawfia community, Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State, Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo, Movement for Actualization of Survereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB), and a rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, (Intersociety), stated that the Federal Government should be held responsible for the continued existence of Boko Haram and other insurgent groups.

Explaining further, Igwe Nwankwo posited that if the Federal Government wants to terminate their existence, it knows how to do and nothing will be heard of them again.

The monarch said, “What Government is doing is cosmetical, they are just painting the whole thing. If they want to do a job, they will do it perfectly well.”

In his own contribution, the Media Director of MASSOB, otherwise called Biafran Independence Movement, (BIM), Mazi Chris Mocha, accused the Federal Government of sponsoring the said violent crimes, adding that it should be held responsible for the insecurity being experienced across Nigeria.

“The Federal Government knows about these crimes and can stop it within a twinkle of an eye if it wants because you cannot find the wood for the tree, the tree knows where its wood is.

Nze Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chairman of Intersociety, in his contribution, stated that the problem of insecurity in Nigeria is not difficult to unravel.

“We are over flogging issues in this country. Who are those in charge of banditry. Their combatants, who are they? “They started in Zamfara state in 2011. They were called Zamfara bandits, who radicalized them?

“What about Boko Haram that started in Borno State in 2000? All these state urchins, who authorized them, who legalized them? Who radicalized them and why were they radicalized? They got radicalized both locally and Internationally.”

A retired police superintendent and security expert, Pius Timila, called on the federal government to adopt a more decisive approach to tackling banditry and kidnapping, insisting that the sponsors and financiers of criminal activities must be investigated and prosecuted alongside the perpetrators.

Timila, who served as a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and held various command positions, including the leadership of a Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit, lamented the growing security challenges in the country.

He stressed that government should apply the same criminal justice principles used in tackling other offences to banditry, stressing that the sponsors and financiers of criminal groups should face severe punishment if found guilty by the courts.

According to him, criminal activities thrive because perpetrators often have people who provide them with resources and markets through which they operate.

“Whatever is applicable to other crimes should also be applied to banditry. For instance, when a person is convicted of killing, the punishment prescribed by law may include imprisonment or, where applicable, capital punishment.

“Similarly, the law recognises the role of those who assist criminals, without people willing to receive or facilitate the disposal of stolen property, some criminals may not have the same incentive to commit robbery or theft.

“That same principle should be applied to kidnapping. There are people who sponsor kidnappers, if a person is found guilty in court of sponsoring kidnapping, the law should prescribe an appropriate and sufficiently severe punishment,” he said.

Timila also stressed the importance of investigating allegations of conspiracy and aiding criminal activities, noting that individuals who knowingly facilitate crimes should not escape accountability.

He questioned why allegations of political sponsorship of banditry often generate public attention without corresponding investigations and prosecutions.

“Every time the Nigerian government says that a particular politician is suspected of sponsoring banditry, nothing appears to happen, governors, former governors and senators are sometimes mentioned as suspected sponsors, but no action follows.”

“If the police or another law enforcement agency receives credible evidence that a person is sponsoring robbery, the agency is expected to investigate and where appropriate arrest and prosecute the person, why should the same principle not apply to banditry?” he asked.

The retired police officer added the government appeared to be politicising the issue, warning that continued politicisation could allow banditry to grow into a more dangerous national security threat.

“In my view they are politicising banditry, Nigeria has not treated banditry with the seriousness of a conventional criminal offence and as long as it is politicised, it will continue to grow into a monster,” he said.

Timila further observed that the apparent decline in armed robbery in some areas could partly be linked to criminals shifting to kidnapping because of the higher financial returns and prolonged control over victims.

“I am not talking only about kidnappings associated with Fulani groups. Individuals who would previously have been involved in robbery are now turning to kidnapping,” he said.

He noted that kidnapping often causes deeper psychological and emotional trauma than robbery because victims could be held captive for days or weeks, subjected to physical and psychological abuse and threatened with death.

“Robbery can be relatively brief, criminals may arrive, take what they can and leave, or flee when they see the police approaching. But with kidnapping, they seize a person and hold the victim for days or weeks, inflict psychological and physical suffering, demand ransom and, in some cases, even after ransom has been paid, they still kill the victim,” he added.

Timila maintained that many of the elements associated with armed robbery were also present in activities commonly described as banditry, urging the authorities to focus on the criminal acts rather than political or ethnic labels.

In addition, a Bayelsa resident, Ebimo Kingsley, expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of banditry and kidnapping, questioning why the federal government had not deployed all available resources to protect citizens.

Kingsley urged the government to strengthen collaboration with regional and international security partners where legally and operationally appropriate, while deploying modern technology to identify and track criminal hideouts.

“If the federal government wants to flush out these criminal elements, it should use every available legal and security mechanism, technology can help security agencies identify where these criminals are hiding and support targeted operations,” he said.

He commended Nigerian troops for their efforts but called for improved weapons, intelligence, logistics and other operational resources to enable them to confront criminal groups more effectively.

Another resident, Mrs Helen Tamarakuro, expressed concern over the emotional and psychological trauma suffered by families of kidnapped victims. She said women and other vulnerable victims were particularly exposed to abuse in captivity, alleging that some victims had been subjected to sexual violence and humiliation.

“Can you imagine the emotional trauma and psychological damage these criminals have inflicted on innocent people, especially women who become victims. Families of kidnapped persons live in constant tension, fear and sadness while praying for the safe return of their loved ones.”

In Cross River State, some residents who spoke on the persistent security crisis expressed disappointment over what they described as the inability of successive governments to bring the situation to a lasting end.

They questioned why the Federal Government had allegedly failed to identify, name and prosecute individuals suspected of sponsoring terrorism, banditry and kidnapping despite the continued loss of innocent lives.

A man who preferred to be identified only as a man of God, said the major challenge confronting Nigeria was not a lack of resources but the quality of leadership available to confront the country’s security challenges.

“The greatest problem that we have as a nation is that we don’t seem to have the right people in place as leaders. Leaders that will call a spade a spade,” he said.

He argued that a serious government should treat every death resulting from violent attacks as a national security threat, irrespective of the identity or background of the victims.

“A leader that will view the killing of a single Nigerian by herdsmen or whatever name they call them and view it as a threat to national security. Such leaders will name those behind the act, not giving the perpetrators amnesty the next day,” he added.

He further stated that Nigeria’s security crisis cannot be effectively tackled without first confronting corruption, which he described as a deeply rooted problem affecting the nation’s institutions.

“When we have the right people in place, everything will take shape, because for us to deal with the issue of insecurity, or name those who are behind it, we must fight corruption first,” he said.

He added that “the monster called corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of our national life.”

“The truth about it is that we won’t be able to find that leader. Everything about us is built under corruption,” he stated.

On the government’s performance in the fight against insecurity, the man of God said there was still much work to be done.

“The fight on insecurity has not been won in any way. Is there any day that Nigerians are not being killed in their numbers, even sometimes without a week?” he asked.

He advised the authorities to invest more heavily in intelligence gathering and security operations.

A lawyer, Barrister Bassey Nse, similarly questioned why the authorities had allegedly been unable to identify those sponsoring insecurity if there was genuine political will to confront the problem.

“If our leaders want to name those people sponsoring insecurity in this country, that will not take them a day,” Nse said.

He argued that the problem was not necessarily a lack of information, but what he described as a lack of sincerity in dealing with the perpetrators.

“The fact is there is no sincerity in the fight,” he stated.

“You arrest those who are killing innocent Nigerians instead of charging them to court, so they can face the full weight of the law for their crime; you give amnesty for killing innocent citizens, instead you are giving them freedom,” he said.

He urged the government to become more proactive and ensure that suspected perpetrators were subjected to due process and, where convicted, punished according to the law.

A retired civil servant, Mr Eyo Hogan, also rejected claims that the government had defeated insecurity in the country.

“If anyone said that government have won the fight against insecurity, I want to say that is false,” Hogan said.

Eyo said the continued killings and kidnappings across the country was evidence that the security crisis remained unresolved.

“If the fight has been won, you won’t hear a single killing by this terrorist or kidnapping anywhere in the country,” he argued.

Hogan appealed to the authorities not to deceive Nigerians but to confront those responsible for attacks.

A student lawyer, Miss Mayen Effefiong, said the primary responsibility of any government was the protection of citizens.

“The fundamental work of any working government of any country is to ensure there is adequate security of lives and property of its citizens. Anything outside this mandate, it means there is a problem,” she said.

Effefiong urged the government to identify and prosecute those responsible for violent crimes.

“Government knows the right thing to do. Government must name those either sponsoring or carrying out the heinous act and bring them to justice,” she stated.

A former Vice-Chairman of the House of Representatives Press Corps and Editor of Nigeria Pilot Newspapers Ltd, Mr Aaron Ossai said, “It is really unfortunate that these things have been happening for decades. It is a thing that should ‘ve been nipped in the bud, but I think the major issue is that the government lacked the political will to fight the menace and tackle the situation. Until recently, they ‘ve not been able to arrest those who perpetrate this insecurity.

“But I thank God that recently, the Department of State Services DSS has lived up to its responsibilities. It has been able to arrest and prosecute those who were responsible for terrorism and other crimes. They have jailed some of them and some of them have gone from light sentences to life imprisonment.

“Even when some of a judge wanted to give them light sentences, the DSS protested and insisted that they should be sentenced to death.

“So, the DSS has risen to its duties and I believe that they should sustain the tempo. If they ‘ve been giving those who ‘ve been caught death sentence, it would have served as a deterrent to those who are still planning to get involved into these nefarious activities.

“I think what should be done is that government should come out and face these people squarely. They should arrest them. The idea of profiling whether they are Igbos, Hausa-Fulani or Yorubas will not help us. They should also raise the morale of those fighting this warfare on the frontline.

“Those men and women fighting insurgency and terrorism in the bushes should be adequately taken care of by the government,” he added.

However, Daily Champion reports that the United States has last week delivered military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) as Washington and Abuja continue to strengthen security cooperation against terrorism and other threats in the region.

The equipment was transported by a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and delivered at locations in Lagos and Kainji.

The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which highlighted the delivery in a statement, said the equipment was provided under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement between the United States and Nigeria.

“PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION: A U.S. Air Force C-17 delivers equipment to the Nigerian Air Force this weekend. The equipment is part of a foreign military sales agreement that furthers the U.S.-Nigerian partnership and will aid in Nigeria’s efforts to counter terrorism in the region,” AFRICOM stated.

The latest delivery comes less than a month after Nigerian and US officials met in Washington to review their security partnership.

National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu led a Nigerian delegation to the second session of the Nigeria-US Joint Working Group on August 13.

The meeting, which followed an earlier session in Abuja in January, focused on counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, protection of vulnerable communities, terrorism financing, border security, internally displaced persons and military-to-military cooperation.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting was also used to review the countries’ defence roadmap and chart the next phase of security collaboration.

Meanwhile, tension gripped Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Sunday as sporadic gunshots were heard in parts of the metropolis following the reported killing of an aide and associate of Governor Ademola Adeleke, Olalekan Oyeyemi Ajagungbade, popularly known as “Emir.”

It was gathered that Ajagungbade Emir was reportedly shot dead on Sunday in Ile-Ife by suspected hoodlums over the control of a garage in the ancient city.

It was learnt that Emir attended a meeting at Mayfair Motor Park, in a bid to resolve the dispute with the factional group laying claim to the leadership of motor parks.

However, masked gunmen were said to have stormed the venue during the meeting, and shot Emir in the head, an incident which reportedly led to both factions fleeing the scene.

The development reportedly triggered a wave of shootings by some of his followers, who moved around parts of the city in a convoy of motorcycles, firing into the air and causing panic among residents.

Areas reportedly affected included Oja-Oba, Gbaemu, Jaleyemi, Odi-Olowo and other parts of Osogbo.

Residents along major roads were said to have hurriedly shut their doors and remained indoors for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

However, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has ordered the arrest of those involved in the incident.

The Governor also directed warring groups to vacate the motor parks immediately and to establish a Park Management System with immediate effect.

Adeleke in a statement by his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed on Sunday, called for calm among the citizenry, directing security agencies to restore normalcy across the motor parks and ensure the maintenance of law and order across the state.

The statement reads, “The governor, promised to issue an Executive Order for the establishment of a park management system to restore discipline and orderliness across motor parks in the state.

“The governor charged the Commissioner of Police to act immediately to arrest all those involved. Law and order must be maintained. There will be no sacred cows as all culprits will be brought to book.

“We call on members of the public to remain calm. We will ensure restoration of peace in all the affected parks and areas. The security agencies are under instruction to ensure the sustainability of peace at all costs.

“We are reintroducing the Park Management System. I will soon issue an executive order to give effect to the new management system to manage parks and garages across the state.”