Perilous times ahead

Nigeria is a country facing many challenges: The country is being held hostage by economic, political, religious and security problems. Terrorism that started from the Northern part of Nigeria in 2008 has now spread  like a wildfire to virtually all parts of the country consuming lives and properties. Nowhere is safe: Insecurity has spread to the middle belt and now spreading to the Southwest, Southeast and South South.

The economy is also not faring better either. Argricultural subsector of the economy is badly hit. Farmers in the North no longer go to their farmers due to the menace of armed Fulani herders. These evil Fulani herders allow their animals to grease on farms thus destroying crops. And when challenged by the farmers, the often AK-47 wielding  herders pull the trigger. Many farmers in that part of the country have lost their lives challenging rampaging Fulani herders and their cattle. The result is that today, the prices of agricultural products are on the high side while poverty is also on the increase.

Gradually, poverty is showing on the streets and homes around the country. To survive, some citizens now resort to begging, a sort of begging often described as “corporate” begging by Lagosians.

Some other “ beggars” do so violently, with impunity to obtain money from people. This we are witnessing daily in the form of kidnappings for ransom. Dear fellow countrymen and women, perilous times are starkly, coldly staring at us on the face!

According to security experts, kidnapping in Nigeria is a severe, widespread national security crisis that functions primarily as a highly organized criminal economy. Driven by financial gain, political instability, and ideological motives, the problem impacts every region of the country, targetting schools, highways, religious centers, and private homes.

Key driving factors are:

•The Ransom Economy:

Kidnapping has become a lucrative business model. Criminal networks demand billions of Naira annually, using online public empathy and media visibility to extract higher payments from desperate families.

•Institutional Deficiencies:

The crisis is exacerbated by underpaid law enforcement, inadequate intelligence systems, weak governance, and vast ungoverned spaces like forests.

•Socioeconomic Pressures:

Worsening economic conditions, extreme poverty, and high unemployment rates provide financial incentives for young people to join criminal networks.

As I mentioned earlier, perilous  times are presently being witnessed in Nigeria.Past Presidents and Heads of state can feel it and this explains why they are very concerned about the happenings in the country. But the questions are, are our current political leaders aware that our dear country is descending into perilous times? If they are indeed aware, what are they are doing to pull the country from the precipice?

An Igbo proverb says that what an elderly man will sees sitting down will take climbing of a tree for a young man to see. A two time head of state- former  President Olusegun Obasanjo- who served as military Head of State and later a civilian president, can be likened to the old man in the above  proverb,  who while sitting down in his Otta, Ogun state abode,  is seeing perilous times ahead in the country. Like a concerned leader he is, Obasanjo recently offered advice to the present political leaders. According to him, “what went wrong in the past is essential to preventing a repeat. We must do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence.

“Some of the things that led to the civil war are still with us. How long will this remain so?

“I was with a colleague when Gen Yakubu Gowon said that we would not survive a second civil war as a country.

“I believe we have fought one civil war too many already. To say that we will have a second civil war, God forbid.

“We must understand what happened, condemn what should not have happened.

“And then, for us to be able to say, ‘never again,’ what are we going to do to make that possible?”

When elders speak, the young are expected to listen and learn from them, elders don’t open their mouths like drunks who speak without sense, the elder that is speaking is speaking out of experience, divine motivation and genuine concern so it is a blessing to a country that we have such leaders who look ahead, notice mistakes and profer solutions. It is my candid opinion that such elders should not be ignored, they should be listened to.

Indeed, security wise, the country is in a bad shape.  Nigerians move about in fear, student go to school in fear, worshippers go to churches and mosques in fear, traders go to markets in fear, road users ply the roads in fear. In fact, some Nigerians now, out of fear of the unknown prefer to stay at home. And this explains  Obasanjo’s advice that “Nigeria’s increasing population of out-of-school children could become a major security threat in the future if left unaddressed.

“If we do not give our children education, then they are liable to become a problem in future, but in trying to give our children education, security becomes an issue. So, if we don’t deal with the issue of insecurity, we are compounding the problem because those children who do not go to school when they should go to school will become a liability and a greater problem of security for us,”

The former leader also emphasized the need for properly harnessed intelligence, improved training for security personnel, adequate military equipment, and modern technology.

“When I talk about four things, intelligence, training, equipment and technology. I know what I’m talking about, and of course, when you get all these right, you must also get the attitude right that you really genuinely want to fight security,” he said.

Meanwhile, as we are about stepping into the next elections, there are palpable fears of insecurity, thuggery and other criminality associated with electoral exercises in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the Osun State gubernatorial election coming up on 15 August 2026, may not be devoid of thuggery, bearing in mind what has been happening in the state. Only recently, Police arrested  24 suspected cultists and individuals linked to political thuggery in the state while Hon. Remi Abasi was murdered by political thugs at Ikeri area of the state. The volatile situation in Osun foretells the bigger picture: What to expect in next year’s general election. Perilous times!

State police would have been very effective in curbing politics or election induced violence but the fear in the minds of many, myself inclusive, is that implementing state police system now- few months to the general election- is like bringing out a hot iron from the furnace without allowing it to cool before trying to hold it. The damage it will cause to the holder will be irreparable. I counsel that before bringing state police forces into fruition, the country should first  dot the “Is” and cross the “Ts” by thoroughly putting in place mechanisms to guide against state governors and other politicians turning them( state police forces) into their private militias with which they intend to intimidate their opponents and rig elections thus defeating the the noble aim of the state police idea.

Security hints

Due to the high rate of insecurity and political thuggery in the country, Security File in partnership with security agencies hereby publishes security numbers for the benefit of  members of the public.

Security agents can be alerted, via the numbers, and vital information on the activities of criminals and thugs supplied.

Such information should be anonymously sent to: Police- 07031179186

Have a blessed, safe and crime- free week ahead.