Nigeria’s Security Challenges And Tinubu’s Vaulting Re-Election Ambitions

By Emeka Alex Duru

(08054103327, nwaukpala@yahoo.com)

My friend, Promise Adiele, spurred some reflection with his piece on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, titled Tinubu: To be or not to be – that is the question. In it, he offered an analysis of the governance challenges in the country and the perceived inability of the Bola Tinubu administration to effectively address the situation. Adiele raised the question of whether Tinubu should resign as President, noting the potential consequences of either choice.

A particular portion of the write-up was especially pointed out. It read: “Today in Nigeria, terrorist groups are targeting military formations, inflicting casualties on soldiers through ambushes and sophisticated intelligence. The mass kidnapping of schoolchildren has resurfaced with disturbing frequency. In just one week, a Nigerian Brigadier General was ambushed and killed. Four soldiers also died. In the same week, terrorists or bandits kidnapped 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State.

The operation was reportedly carried out with relative ease. They killed the Vice-Principal of the school and other teachers. While many citizens expressed concern over these developments, the President sent his vice, Kashim Shettima, and other political figures to Kogi State to welcome politicians who had defected to the ruling APC. The President himself was reportedly welcoming the Duke of Edinburgh and posing for photos in Abuja.”

This captures the essence of the criticism levelled against the Tinubu administration, with accusations that the President and other leaders are seemingly detached from the serious issues facing the country. To illustrate the gravity of the situation, consider some recent events.

On Monday, November 17, Nigerians learned of the attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, Kebbi, where the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed and 25 students were abducted. Makuku was reportedly shot while attempting to protect the students.

Conflicting accounts of the incident have emerged. The Kebbi State Police Command, in a statement by Public Relations Officer CSP Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, stated that attackers engaged security personnel in a gun duel but succeeded in abducting the girls. Other sources suggest that the bandits operated with minimal resistance. This aligns with a common narrative of criminal groups operating with relative impunity due to perceived security weaknesses.

The Kebbi incident occurred shortly after at least 16 vigilante members were killed and 42 residents kidnapped in separate attacks by bandits in the Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State. On Saturday, armed gangs attacked Fegin Baza village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing three persons and abducting at least 64 others.

On Sunday, criminals launched an assault on Tsohuwar Tasha village in the Ruwan Doruwa Ward of Maru Local Government, also in Zamfara, abducting 14 people, including 11 women and three children. On the same Sunday, armed men reportedly abducted several passengers along the Ogobia–Adoka Road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. In total, more than 145 Nigerians were kidnapped in Kebbi, Niger, and Zamfara states within four days.

During this period, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) released video footage purportedly showing the execution of a senior Nigerian army officer, Brigadier-General Musa Uba of the 25 Task Force Brigade, who was captured during an ambush on a military convoy. The convoy was returning from a patrol near Wajiroko village in northeastern Borno state when it came under sustained gunfire from the militants.

Four military personnel were also confirmed killed in the attack. Just last Tuesday, gunmen killed some worshippers and abducted several others, including a pastor, during an attack on the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. Online clips of the incident show the assailants invading the church.

These statistics understandably raise serious concerns. Yet, critics argue that the President and his administration appear primarily focused on securing another term in 2027. On Tuesday, while the nation grappled with these issues, Vice President Kashim Shettima was dispatched to Kogi State to receive defecting Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Shettima reportedly stated that he would be returning to Abuja to inform Tinubu that his victory in 2027 was assured. Meanwhile, factions within the opposition PDP, led by Nyesom Wike and Tanimu Turaki, were reportedly engaged in internal disputes, seemingly disregarding the concerns of many Nigerians.

Some observers contend that Nigeria under Bola Tinubu is exhibiting characteristics of a failing state, particularly in areas of governance and security. The government’s perceived lack of effective response to mounting security challenges has raised questions about the nation’s sovereignty.

These concerns have led some to suggest that Nigeria is following a trajectory similar to Somalia, a country with a homogenous population that has nonetheless struggled with political instability and lawlessness. The comparison is intended to underscore the severity of the perceived governance and security failures.

Interestingly, the author notes that similar criticisms were levied against former President Goodluck Jonathan. He recalls that Tinubu, then in opposition, tweeted on November 6, 2014, “Why should any part of this country be under occupation? In any civilised country, Jonathan should resign.”

He had earlier tweeted on April 14, 2014, “The festering Boko Haram attacks on the North East and massacre of innocent citizens is concrete proof that Nigeria has no government.” The author implies that Nigeria under Tinubu is facing even more significant challenges than those under Jonathan.

The author concludes by arguing that the President’s focus appears to be on consolidating power through political manoeuvring, potentially at the expense of addressing the country’s fundamental problems. The question of how he intends to govern a system that is steadily deteriorating remains unanswered.

• DURU is the Editor, TheNiche Online Newspapers, Lagos