February 08, (THEWILL) — There appears to be an established but troubling pattern to the terrorist attacks of vulnerable communities in Nigeria: Official nonchalance, public helplessness and troops fatigue, all to the advantage of the terrorists. We saw these behaviours and feelings occurred during the recent abduction of school children in their numbers in Niger and Kebbi states.
Painting the obvious picture last week while recounting the siege on Worro Village in Kwara State where 75 victims of attacks by bandits have been buried so far, village head, Umar Bio Salihu spoke as if he were recounting the recent abduction of 25 school girls of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi State’s Maga town on November 17, 2025 or the kidnap of more than 250 children and staff from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State on 21 November, 2025. And many other places where terrorists have been launched with little or no presence of security personnel.
According to Salihu, the gunmen operated for 10 hours before any security operatives showed up in the village and even then, many days after the community had alerted the authorities of the impending threat. Also, he said the community once had a military outpost stationed there, but it was abandoned after it was attacked by bandits, leaving the village exposed.
He said the bandits forewarned the community about their mission in a letter that he personally took to the Directorate of State Services, DSS, in Kaima and the Emirate Council for possible action. No action came. But after the gruesome killings, the condolences are pouring in. Troops have been deployed with alacrity and official statements are condemning the “relentless targeting of defenceless citizens, including women, children and the elderly, underscores the inhumanity of the perpetrators and highlights the urgent need for firm and decisive action.” With this kind of negligence, it would be a matter of time before more communities are overrun by terrorists in the country. Some observant views linked this ongoing security breach of communities in the North-Central states to a step towards surprise attacks in the South-West and Lagos, giving the recent attack of forest rangers in Oyo State.
Nonetheless, the heart of the matter concerns the large expanse of land and communities, mostly impoverished and far removed from urban areas where security, amenities and facilities are plentiful. These poor communities have become ungoverned spaces that are often at the mercy of the merchants of death.
But what they lack in terms of social and economic development, some of the communities make up for in early warning systems. They communicate their anxieties, fears and impending attacks to the appropriate authorities, expecting that they will get prompt and adequate response. This attitude is the only way to address the challenged posed by lack of military manpower, enough boots on the ground, overstretched and overworked security forces.
Yet, it is inexcusable and condemnable to deny support and protection to communities that have communicated their helplessness to the appropriate authorities in their hour of need. Such patterned responses can only evoke a feeling of compromise on the part of the communities. It creates a sense of loss and lack of trust, which is detrimental in the long run to the prosecution of the war against terror.
