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By Adamu Ibrahim
For years, insecurity in Southern Kaduna has been weaponised not just by bandits and criminals in the forests, but by another dangerous group operating in plain sight: crisis merchants and political opportunists who thrive on exaggeration, half-truths and outright falsehoods. Their stock-in-trade has been fear, their currency, public anxiety, and their ultimate objective narrow political gain. But recent developments have dealt a decisive blow to this cynical enterprise. The packs of lies are collapsing, and they are collapsing loudly.
At a press conference in Kaduna, the Southern Kaduna People, led by their National President, Engr. Tabara Samuel Kato, did what many had hoped for but few expected so boldly: they spoke truth to manipulation. In calm but firm language, the group commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, for their sustained and genuine efforts to tackle insecurity in the state and across the country. In doing so, they punctured the carefully constructed narratives of those who have been feeding off tragedy and presenting themselves as the sole voices of Southern Kaduna.
This intervention matters. It matters because insecurity is real, pain is real, and victims are real. But it also matters because exaggeration, politicisation and selective outrage do not save lives. They only deepen divisions, inflame passions and make solutions harder to achieve. By stepping forward, Southern Kaduna stakeholders reclaimed their story from those who have long sought to hijack it.
One of the most significant points raised by Engr. Kato was Governor Uba Sani’s visit to Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area, following the bandit attack of January 18. This visit was not a photo opportunity; it was historic. As Kato rightly noted, Governor Uba Sani is the first sitting governor to ever visit the community. That single fact alone dismantles the lazy claim that the present administration is distant, indifferent or disconnected from the grassroots.
Leadership, especially in times of crisis, is about presence. It is about showing up, listening, and acting. Governor Uba Sani did all three. He did not delegate empathy. He went himself. He reassured the people, directed the Commissioner for Works to immediately address the deplorable access road, and promised concrete interventions including the provision of a hospital, enhanced security presence and other critical infrastructure. These are not the actions of a leader playing politics; they are the actions of a leader governing.
Yet, even this humane response was twisted by fifth columnists who rushed to social media and sympathetic platforms to spin conspiracy theories and accuse the government of insincerity. For them, every tragedy must serve a political script. Every act of governance must be framed as failure. Every effort at peace must be dismissed because peace robs them of relevance.
The Southern Kaduna People were clear-eyed enough to reject this distortion. While acknowledging that challenges remain — a refreshing honesty often missing in political discourse — they credited both President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani for what they described as “untiring and concerted efforts” to deploy security mechanisms since assuming office. This is a crucial point. No responsible stakeholder claims that insecurity has vanished overnight. What is at issue is direction, commitment and measurable improvement.
Under Governor Uba Sani, Kaduna State has witnessed a deliberate recalibration of its security architecture. There has been closer coordination with federal security agencies, renewed engagement with communities, and a conscious effort to rebuild trust across ethnic and religious lines. These steps do not always trend on social media, but they save lives quietly and steadily.
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s role, too, deserves honest appraisal. From the restructuring of the security leadership to renewed focus on intelligence and inter-agency cooperation, the federal government has signalled seriousness of purpose. The appointment of retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Minister of Defence was particularly praised by the Southern Kaduna People, and rightly so. It reflects a willingness to prioritise competence, experience and national balance in sensitive appointments.
That Nigerians across backgrounds are now calling for Gen. Musa to be considered as a potential presidential running mate speaks volumes, not just about the individual, but about a growing sense of inclusion and belonging. For a region long suspicious of the centre, this shift in perception is not accidental. It is the product of deliberate, inclusive leadership.
Importantly, the Southern Kaduna People did not descend into blind praise. They urged both the federal and state governments to intensify efforts to secure the release of kidnapped victims and to carry out a comprehensive crackdown on bandits and kidnappers. This balanced posture, supportive yet demanding , stands in sharp contrast to the shrill absolutism of crisis profiteers who offer only condemnation and no constructive engagement.
What we are witnessing, therefore, is not denial of insecurity, but rejection of its politicisation. The people of Southern Kaduna are saying, clearly, that their pain should not be exploited. Their dead should not be used as campaign tools. Their fear should not be amplified for clicks, clout or electoral advantage.
There is also an uncomfortable truth the opportunists must confront: peace does not favour them. Governor Uba Sani’s growing acceptance, his bridge-building across communities, and his refusal to govern through division have shrunk the space for those who thrive on chaos. The more the state stabilises, the more exposed their motives become.
The commendation from Southern Kaduna stakeholders is therefore more than a press statement; it is a moral rebuke. It tells the crisis merchants that they do not own Southern Kaduna. It reminds them that communities can think for themselves, speak for themselves and support leaders who demonstrate sincerity and courage.
In the end, insecurity will be defeated not just by guns and troops, but by truth and unity. Lies may travel fast, but they do not endure. As Southern Kaduna stakeholders have now shown, when facts are put on the table and leadership is judged fairly, the packs of lies inevitably collapse.
And when they do, what remains is a clearer path toward peace — one built on responsible leadership, community partnership and the collective resolve to deny opportunists the oxygen of manipulation.
•Ibrahim writes from Kaduna State
