President Bola Tinubu’s recent declaration of a nationwide security emergency has thrown Nigeria’s ongoing struggle with insurgency and violent crime into sharp relief, spurring a wave of debate about the country’s approach to national security and the urgent need for both structural reform and collective action. The move, announced last week after a spate of school and church attacks and high-profile abductions, marks one of the administration’s most direct acknowledgments yet that the nation stands at a crossroads—one where public patience is wearing thin and the specter of catastrophe looms uncomfortably close.
This latest security emergency comes on the heels of intensified attacks throughout November 2025, incidents that have reignited international scrutiny and, as The Nation pointed out, exposed Nigeria to “global ridicule.” The situation, many analysts argue, is more than just a test of the country’s military strength; it’s a test of its political will, leadership acumen, and the ability of its citizens to rally together in the face of relentless threats.
In response to the crisis, President Tinubu’s government has unveiled a series of immediate measures. Among the most notable are the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers and an unspecified increase in army personnel. The Department of State Service (DSS) has been tasked with clearing Nigeria’s forests of terrorist elements, working in tandem with Forest Guards—a move that, while sensible, has raised questions about whether the DSS can succeed where the military has struggled. As The Nation observed, “these are sensible but reactive measures that could give muscle to the anti-terrorism fight, though it is not clear why the government thinks the DSS should carry out an assignment the military has struggled with.”
Yet, for all the urgency of these steps, critics warn that declarations alone will not suffice. There is a growing consensus that the government must go beyond temporary fixes and establish a robust, coordinated structure to manage the emergency. The administration, according to The Nation, “must put a structure in place, and forge a template and anchor staff to manage the emergency. It must not take for granted that the security agencies know what to do.” Without such a framework, the declaration risks being little more than a public relations gesture—one that fails to stem the tide of violence or restore public confidence.
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s remarks at a Christmas carol and praise festival in Jos, Plateau State last week further underscored the gravity of the situation. Obasanjo argued forcefully for an end to negotiations with terrorists, reflecting a hardening of attitudes amid the ongoing crisis. But the government, for its part, has maintained that there are circumstances—especially when hostages are involved—where negotiation remains a necessary, if distasteful, option.
The urgency of the moment was echoed by former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd.), who delivered a keynote address at the 18th Annual International Security Conference at the University of Lagos on November 29, 2025. Speaking to journalists, Buratai emphasized that the fight against insurgency is not the military’s burden alone. “But what most people fail to understand is that insurgency is the people’s war. It’s not only the military in the people’s war,” he said. “You’d be surprised that amongst us here, there may be one or two bandits or Boko Haram members.”
Buratai’s remarks, reported by both Vanguard and PM News, highlight a critical, often overlooked dimension of Nigeria’s security crisis: the extent to which extremist threats are embedded within local communities. Buratai argued that military operations, while vital, cannot by themselves uproot insurgency. “Insurgency threats are rooted within local communities and cannot be eliminated solely through armed operations,” he stressed. This perspective invites a broader understanding of national security—one that sees ordinary citizens, local institutions, and grassroots organizations as indispensable partners in the struggle for peace.
Reflecting on his own tenure leading counter-terrorism missions during the height of the Boko Haram conflict, Buratai recalled significant progress between 2015 and 2021. “You know how we built up from 2009 up to 2015, isn’t it? Was there any change between 2015 to probably 2021 or 2024? Was there any improvement? Yeah, you should acknowledge that,” he stated. “All those roadblocks were removed. All those local governments that were under the Boko Haram terrorist group before 2015 have been recovered. Substantial degrading of Boko Haram was done between 2015 and 2021. The military is still what it used to be – professional.”
But Buratai’s message was not one of complacency. Delivering his keynote address titled “Leadership, Strategy, and National Security Management,” he underscored the vital link between effective leadership and security outcomes. Drawing from his 2022 book, Thoughts and Principles on Leadership, Buratai argued, “A well-developed strategy is essential, but it is nothing without leaders who can implement it. Leaders at all levels must promote transparency, encourage citizen participation, and be rational enough to anticipate future challenges.”
He further noted that the government already possesses robust legal and operational tools to tackle terrorism—including the national defence policy, the Anti-Terrorism Prevention Act, and other frameworks—but insisted that these must be applied in a comprehensive, consistent, and sustained manner. “The government has all the documentation, the transcripts, the strategy, the defence policy, and the Anti-Terrorism Prevention Act. They are all there to deal with this situation. But it must be comprehensive, consistent, and sustained. There must be support, training and retraining, and recruitment across the police, military, intelligence agencies, DSS, and others.”
Perhaps most notably, Buratai championed the role of grassroots institutions and community participation in strengthening Nigeria’s security system. “We must have community resilience and community support. Local government administrations must be empowered. It is really not a one-off solution,” he added, emphasizing that lasting security cannot be imposed from above but must be built from the ground up.
The stakes could hardly be higher. As The Nation cautioned, if the government fails to significantly degrade or destroy terrorist networks before the upcoming political primaries—now just six months away—the consequences could be dire. “If the terrorism and abductions problem persist into the campaigns, not to say into the elections, the ruling party must prepare their minds for disaster,” the paper warned. The message is clear: the window for decisive action is closing fast, and the cost of inaction could be catastrophic for both the administration and the nation.
For now, Nigeria stands at a critical juncture. Whether President Tinubu’s emergency declaration will mark a turning point in the country’s fight against insurgency depends not just on the recruitment of new security personnel or the clearing of forests, but on the willingness of leaders to forge a comprehensive, coordinated strategy—and the ability of ordinary citizens to recognize that, in this war, everyone has a part to play.