The state of insecurity in Nigeria today is no longer just a series of isolated crimes; it has evolved into a sophisticated, resource-driven conflict where the lines between the government, the military, and criminal warlords have become dangerously blurred.
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A Dark Tuesday: November 18, 2025
On this single day, the fragility of Nigerian safety was laid bare in two separate, brutal incidents that spanned the North and West.
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Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku (Kwara State): During a midweek service that was being livestreamed, gunmen stormed the sanctuary. As worshippers sang and prayed, the feed captured the moment chaos erupted. Five people were killed (including victims named Tunde Asabe and Segun Alaja), and several others, including the pastor, were abducted into the surrounding forests.
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GGSS Maga (Kebbi State): At approximately 4:00 a.m., armed men scaled the fence of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School. They killed the Vice Principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, who also served as the school’s chief security officer. 25 girls (ages 12–17) were kidnapped from their hostel. While one girl managed to escape shortly after, 24 remained missing for a week before a reported release.
The Statistics of a Crisis (2025)
The first half of 2025 has been the deadliest period in recent history, surpassing the total fatalities of 2024 in just six months.
| Metric | 2025 Data (First 6 Months) |
| Total Killed | 2,266+ people |
| Villages Attacked | 638+ communities |
| Kidnapped Students | 1,500+ since 2014 |
| Security Budget | ₦6.57 Trillion (61% increase) |
The “Amnesty” Trap: How the Government Pays for Blood
The current “negotiation” culture traces back to 2009. When the government offered amnesty to the Niger Delta militants, it inadvertently taught every criminal in Nigeria a lucrative lesson: violence earns a seat at the table.
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The Blueprint: Militants surrendered old weapons for monthly stipends (65,000 Naira) and promises of jobs. When the jobs didn’t materialize, they returned to violence with better funding.
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Bandit Leaders as Celebrities: Today, warlords like Bello Turji and Ado Aliero (who was even given a traditional title in Katsina) operate openly. They hold microphones, negotiate with officials in convoys, and impose “taxes” on local farmers.
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The Revolving Door: Officials like former Governor Matawalle (now Minister of State for Defense) have been accused of gifting Toyota Hilux trucks and cash to “repentant” bandits—only for those bandits to use the resources to buy more sophisticated weaponry.
The Resource War: Gold vs. Lives
Nigeria sits on an estimated $700 billion in minerals (Gold, Lithium, etc.). The “banditry” in states like Zamfara and Katsina is increasingly seen not as a religious war, but as a corporate-military enterprise.
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Illegal Mining: Powerful elites and foreign nationals (including documented cases of Chinese miners) use bandits as private security to guard illegal mines.
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Smuggling Routes: Gold is smuggled through Niger, Chad, and Libya. No taxes reach the state; the money goes directly back into arming the bandits.
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Government Priorities: While schools are raided, the government’s Defense Ministry recently celebrated the resumption of mining as a priority, even as 2,000+ citizens were killed in the same timeframe.
The International Shadow: Donald Trump’s Threat
In November 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and threatened a “guns-a-blazing” military intervention.
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The Narrative: Trump frames the crisis as a genocide against Christians.
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The Reality: The violence is indiscriminate. Both Christians and Muslims are being slaughtered, and mosques are being burned alongside churches.
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The Concern: Many fear a U.S. intervention would mirror the 2011 Libya crisis—leading to a total collapse of the state while foreign powers secure the $700 billion mineral deposits.
The Cycle of Recruitment
Between 2017 and 2019 alone, over 3,600 children were recruited into these gangs. They use a three-pronged strategy:
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Push: Poverty and the lack of schools leave boys with no choice but to join gangs for food.
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Pull: The “prestige” of carrying a gun and the promise of a cut from million-naira ransoms.
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Personal: Using drugs (cocaine mixed with gunpowder/Tramadol) to numb the recruits’ emotions before forcing them to commit atrocities in their own villages.
The “pest at the root” of Nigeria is a system where conflict is more profitable than peace. Until the government stops treating warlords as stakeholders and starts treating them as enemies of the state, the cycle of “death after death” is likely to continue.