By: Farida Mustapha Lawan
For more than a decade, Nigeria has endured a devastating cycle of insurgency, banditry, mass abductions and terrorism that has displaced countless residents and destroyed communities.
Villages have been razed, families separated and schools turned into scenes of terror.
Homes have been abandoned, while fear has become a permanent companion for millions of Nigerians. For many citizens, security something that should be a fundamental responsibility of the state has increasingly become a luxury.
A Blood-Soaked Decade of Insurgency
The years 2013 and 2014 marked a particularly violent escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency, fundamentally altering Nigeria’s security landscape.
Following the Federal Government’s declaration of a state of emergency in May 2013 in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, the insurgency intensified, with attacks spreading across rural communities, military formations and schools.
The violence generated a humanitarian crisis and forced hundreds of thousands of Nigerians from their homes, creating a vast population of internally displaced persons.
What began primarily as an insurgency gradually evolved into a complex security crisis involving Boko Haram, ISWAP, armed bandit groups and criminal kidnapping networks.
The consequences have extended far beyond the loss of lives.
Agriculture, commerce, education and local economies have all suffered as communities struggle to recover from repeated attacks.
From Terror to Ransom: The Destruction of Education
One of the most disturbing consequences of the prolonged insecurity has been the systematic targeting of education.
Attacks on schools in northern Nigeria became increasingly common, putting students, teachers and entire communities at risk.
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram insurgents abducted 276 girls from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.
The incident shocked the world and became a defining symbol of Nigeria’s struggle against terrorism.
Although some of the girls escaped or were subsequently released, others remained in captivity for years.
The abduction exposed the vulnerability of schools in conflict-affected communities and raised serious questions about the government’s ability to protect children.
Four years later, on February 19, 2018, Boko Haram militants abducted 110 schoolgirls from Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State.
Most of the girls were later released, but five reportedly died during the ordeal, while Leah Sharibu remained in captivity after refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
The pattern did not end with Boko Haram.
Over time, mass school abductions increasingly became associated with criminal groups operating for ransom.
Educational institutions, particularly those in remote communities with limited security presence, became vulnerable targets.
According to an ACCORD report by Freedom Onuoha and Joseph Chukwunonso Akogwu, non-state armed groups abducted an estimated 1,548 schoolchildren in 11 mass incidents between April 2014 and June 2021.
The attacks included the abduction of students from schools in Kagara, Jangebe, Kankara, Chikun and other communities across northern Nigeria.
The expansion of school kidnappings demonstrated how Nigeria’s security crisis had evolved from a largely ideological insurgency into a broader criminal enterprise driven partly by ransom.
In May 2026, armed attackers reportedly invaded three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing a teacher and abducting teachers and pupils. The victims were eventually released in July after spending 56 days in captivity.
The geographical spread of such attacks is particularly alarming. What was once largely perceived as a North-East security challenge has increasingly affected other parts of the country.
On June 29, 2026, suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists reportedly attacked the Lassa community in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State during a market day.
The attackers targeted a secondary school while students were preparing for their NECO Biology examination, reportedly killing two teachers and abducting students and staff.
The continued captivity of some of the victims has further highlighted the vulnerability of communities living under the shadow of terrorism.
As of August 26, 2026, reports indicated that children abducted from communities in Askira-Uba had spent more than 100 days in captivity, with families still awaiting their safe return.
From Mass Abductions to Denied Rights
Beyond the immediate human cost, Nigeria’s prolonged insecurity raises serious questions about the government’s constitutional responsibilities.
Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution provides for state policies aimed at ensuring adequate educational opportunities and promoting science and technology.
It also directs the state toward the eradication of illiteracy through measures including free, compulsory and universal primary education and other educational programmes as practicable.
When children cannot safely attend school because armed groups can invade educational institutions, the constitutional promise of education is undermined.
A school that cannot guarantee the basic safety of its students cannot effectively fulfil its educational purpose.
The problem, therefore, is not simply that insecurity disrupts education.
Persistent insecurity threatens to make the constitutional commitment to education meaningless for children living in affected communities.
How a Dysfunctional Security Architecture Became a Threat to the State
Section 142b of the 1999 Constitution states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
This provision raises a fundamental question: Can a government fulfil its most basic constitutional responsibility when citizens, students and even the security forces themselves remain vulnerable to armed groups?
The deaths of military commanders in counter-insurgency operations have repeatedly demonstrated the enormous cost of Nigeria’s security crisis.
Over the years, several decorated officers have been killed while confronting Boko Haram, ISWAP and armed bandits.
In 2016, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali, the Commanding Officer of the 272 Task Force Battalion, was killed during a Boko Haram ambush in Mallam Fatori, Borno State.
The same year witnessed the deaths of other officers, including Lieutenant Colonel B.U. Umar and Lieutenant Colonel Otobrise Umusu, in separate attacks and IED incidents.
In November 2018, Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim Sakaba was killed alongside many of his men during the Boko Haram attack on the 157 Task Force Battalion base in Metele, Borno State.
The losses continued in subsequent years.
Colonel Dahiru Chiroma Bako died in September 2020 from injuries sustained during an ambush in Borno State, while Lieutenant Colonel Z. Manu was reportedly killed during an encounter with bandits in Katsina State.
In November 2021, Brigadier General Dzarma Zirkusu was ambushed and killed by ISWAP fighters while leading reinforcements toward Askira-Uba in Borno State.
More recently, the security forces have continued to suffer command-level casualties.
In November 2025, Brigadier General Musa Uba was reportedly killed following an ISWAP ambush along the Damboa-Wajiroko axis in Borno State.
In March 2026, Lieutenant Colonel S.I. Iliyasu and Lieutenant Colonel Umar Farouq were reportedly killed in separate incidents involving insurgents in Borno State.
The crisis deepened in April 2026 with the reported capture and killing of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah during an insurgent attack on a military base in Benisheikh, followed days later by the death of Colonel I.A. Mohammed and several soldiers in an IED incident in Monguno.
These losses raise difficult questions about intelligence, equipment, operational planning, force protection and the broader effectiveness of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency strategy.
A military that repeatedly loses experienced commanders and troops to ambushes, IEDs and base attacks faces not only a personnel crisis but also a strategic challenge.
Citizens Still Paying the Price
The insecurity has not been confined to military personnel or conflict zones.
On August 26, 2026, 15 National Youth Service Corps members travelling toward Abuja after completing their orientation programme were reportedly abducted by armed assailants along the Ofu/Itobe-Onicha-Igo highway corridor in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Two days later, a joint security operation reportedly rescued 11 victims, including several NYSC members and bus drivers, after security personnel combed surrounding forests.
The incident is another reminder that kidnapping has become a nationwide threat capable of affecting students, travellers, workers and ordinary families.
A Continuing National Challenge
Nigeria’s security crisis is no longer merely a story of terrorism in isolated communities.
It has become a national governance challenge.
For more than a decade, Nigerians have watched insurgency evolve into banditry, mass kidnapping and increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
Schools have been attacked, communities displaced, military personnel killed and families forced to negotiate for the lives of their loved ones.
The central question is therefore not whether Nigeria has brave soldiers, courageous police officers or resilient citizens. It clearly does.
The more difficult question is whether the country’s leadership and security architecture are sufficiently equipped, coordinated and strategically focused to protect them.
How can government convincingly uphold Section 142b of the Constitution which places the security and welfare of the people at the centre of its purpose when citizens continue to feel unsafe, schools remain vulnerable, military formations are attacked and abducted children can spend months in captivity?
Nigeria cannot afford to normalise this reality.
The country needs more than temporary military operations and reactive responses after attacks. It needs sustained intelligence gathering, stronger inter-agency coordination, better protection for vulnerable communities, improved welfare and equipment for security personnel, stronger border management, effective prosecution of perpetrators and a comprehensive strategy that addresses the criminal economies sustaining kidnapping and terrorism.
Most importantly, it needs leadership capable of turning constitutional promises into measurable security outcomes.
Until Nigerians can sleep in their homes without fear, send their children to school without anxiety and travel across the country without wondering whether they will become the next victims of kidnapping, the need for effective and sustained action will remain unavoidable.
