Nigeria’s persistent security crisis reached a dramatic new crescendo this week as both the political establishment and security forces grappled with a wave of deadly attacks, internal dissent, and calls for sweeping reform. The events—ranging from a brazen terrorist assault in Kebbi State to a rare revolt in Parliament—have reignited debate over the roots of the country’s insecurity and the government’s willingness, or ability, to restore peace.
In the early hours of Friday, November 28, 2025, suspected Lakurawa terrorists struck an immigration checkpoint in Bakin Ruwa, Bagudo Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing three Nigeria Immigration Service officers. According to Nafiu Abubakar, spokesperson for the Kebbi State Police Command, the attack took place around 2 am. “It is true. The incident happened around 2 am on Friday,” Abubakar confirmed in a call with FIJ. The attackers set the checkpoint ablaze, a fact made chillingly real by a 67-second video of the inferno that quickly circulated on social media.
This latest bloodshed has cast doubt on official claims about the status of the Lakurawa group. Only a year ago, in December 2024, Bello Matawalle, the Minister of State Defence, declared the group eliminated from Nigerian soil. “The military has found out their routes, their armoury, and where they stay, and we have ordered the military to destroy all their camps, which I believe you have seen for yourself. …our security forces found out where they were, and given the level of destruction we gave to them, I don’t believe any member of the Lakurawa will think of coming back to Nigeria,” Matawalle asserted. Yet, the army itself confirmed in late 2024 that Lakurawa fighters, originally from Niger Republic, had infiltrated Kebbi and Sokoto states, exploiting gaps in cross-border cooperation and the rugged terrain to establish footholds in remote communities.
The Lakurawa, as FIJ previously reported, are notorious for enforcing strict Islamic doctrines on residents, urging communities to reject Western education and shun any relationships with the army, police, politicians, or government officials. Their resurgence in Kebbi underscores the resilience—and adaptability—of extremist networks operating in Nigeria’s northwestern corridor.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military has sought to reassure the public with reports of aggressive counterterror operations nationwide. On Friday, November 28, Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations, provided an update in Abuja on a week of nationwide military efforts. According to News Agency of Nigeria, troops eliminated dozens of terrorists, apprehended 57 suspects, and rescued 45 kidnapped victims across the country. Large caches of arms, vehicles, and ammunition were recovered, and criminal networks disrupted in multiple regions.
In the North East, Operation HADIN KAI saw troops kill several terrorists, apprehend 11 collaborators, rescue eight kidnapped commuters, and destroy multiple terrorist camps, with airstrikes in Sambisa neutralizing additional fighters and destroying storage facilities. Under Operation FASAN YAMMA, forces killed terrorists and bandits, arrested 15 suspects, and freed 13 kidnapped victims in Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states. Troops also intercepted a suspected arms dealer with N4 million in cash and military-grade weapons.
Elsewhere, Operations ENDURING PEACE and WHIRL STROKE in the North Central region killed scores of extremists, nabbed 11 suspects (including notorious terrorist Umar Idi, aka Lere), and rescued 19 kidnapped victims. In the South-East, Operation UDO KA rescued five more kidnapped victims and destroyed terrorist hideouts in Enugu State. The military’s efforts to clamp down on oil theft in the Delta also bore fruit, with Operation DELTA SAFE foiling thefts worth over N173 million and destroying 11 illegal refining sites.
Despite these achievements, the sense of crisis is mounting—not just on the frontlines but in the very heart of Nigeria’s political establishment. In a rare and dramatic display, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, a senior figure in President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), publicly rebuked the government during an emergency parliamentary session. “With every sense of responsibility, and without fear of equivocation, their best is not good enough,” Doguwa declared. “The security situation in Nigeria today is horrific… unspeakable. We are lacking in institutional and collective responsibility as a government.” He even warned that lawmakers might be forced to “shut down the government” unless security forces decisively confront the wave of killings and mass abductions sweeping the country.
Doguwa’s outburst, echoed by other senior lawmakers, broke with the tradition of party loyalty and signaled a political breaking point. Julius Ihombvere, APC Leader of the House, cited data that Nigeria now records over 24,000 violent incidents annually, with deaths reaching up to 9,500 in 2024. “Nigeria is ranked the sixth most impacted country by terrorism globally,” Ihombvere noted. Their outrage was fueled by a series of recent attacks: the abduction of more than 300 students from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, new assaults on churches and schools, and the killing of religious leaders in Kaduna.
Christian leaders have long warned that these attacks follow a deliberate ideological pattern. Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, founder of Kingsway International Christian Centre, called the violence “a slow-burning genocide,” referencing years of religiously targeted massacres and forced displacement. “We cannot say there is no genocide; Deborah Samuel [Deborah Emmanuel] was lynched; 52 lawyers showed up to defend her killers. Evangelist Eunice was murdered in Abuja while preaching at dawn. Communities in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, and Taraba are killed, chased out, and immediately replaced. Is this not a plan of genocide?” he asked. Pastor Paul Adefarasin, of House on the Rock Church, declared, “I certainly hope Nigeria doesn’t go to war. I certainly hope we don’t have to. But I’m ready for it. This is a battle to exterminate Indigenous people from their ancestral land in the Middle Belt.”
In response to the mounting pressure, President Tinubu declared a national security emergency, unveiling a plan to recruit 50,000 additional police officers, expand the army, deploy trained forest guards, and support state-level policing initiatives. The plan also includes fortifying security at religious and educational institutions, discouraging boarding schools in isolated areas, and accelerating the transition from open grazing to ranching. “Nigerians deserve to live without fear,” Tinubu said.
Yet, security experts remain skeptical. Philip Esan told TruthNigeria that the reforms are “a necessary start but not a strategy.” He emphasized that Nigeria’s core problem is not manpower, but the “weapons pipeline from the Sahel, the intelligence vacuum in rural corridors, and the extremist indoctrination happening in the forests.” Researcher Polycarp Enedu argued that decentralizing police forces is inevitable for a nation of over 220 million people, but warned that “decentralization must come with legal safeguards, or it will be misused.”
For many ordinary Nigerians, the nightly fear is palpable. In Isapa, a farming town east of Ilorin, residents described gunmen storming homes at dusk, herding victims into the forest. “We sleep with fear,” a community leader confessed. “Every night we pray they don’t come. The government keeps promising, but nothing changes.”
As the political storm rages and security forces intensify their efforts, analysts warn that the roots of Nigeria’s crisis run deep. In a recent article, Abiodun Komolafe traced today’s insecurity back to the 1981 Maitatsine Riots, the collapse of the agricultural value chain, and decades of failed policies. Komolafe called for a forensic audit of war spending, the development of Special Forces tailored to guerrilla warfare, and a complete overhaul of security strategy. “The issue is that the strategy must change!” he insisted, warning that insurgencies mutate and multiply if left unchecked.
For now, Nigeria stands at a crossroads. Whether the current wave of reform and outrage will yield lasting security—or simply mark another chapter in a long, painful struggle—remains to be seen.