Tinubu is Unravelling the Nation
Jibrin Ibrahim, Deepening Democracy, Daily Trust, 17th April 2026
Nigerians have not had it so bad in recent history. The country is
unravelling and the government is vacillating between denial and a
pompous lack of concern to multiple unfolding crises. Trump’s United
States of America that promised to kill off security threats in the
country, and rescue Christian victims “guns a blazing” are running out
of the country with their tails between their legs. The US State
Department, in a travel advisory, authorised non-emergency government
employee and their family members to leave its embassy in Abuja due to
the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria. Visa services in the
Embassy have been suspended.
The Associated Press, just published a report that insurgents are now
headed for the Nation’s capital, Abuja with planned attacks on
landmark sites including the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and
a prison facility in Abuja, as well as a military detention centre in
neighbouring Niger state. The report said Nigeria’s security forces
are on high alert over the threat. The attack on the airport, says the
report, would be similar to the recent terrorist strike on Niamey
International airport in Niger Republic. Their intention is to release
detained terrorists and inflict significant damage on critical
aviation infrastructure. Many of Nigeria’s governing class have
stopped visiting their home towns and now they are no longer safe even
in Abuja.
In recent weeks, the Islamist militant groups Boko Haram and Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been launching coordinated
overnight attacks on multiple locations in Nigeria's northeastern
Borno state, killing an army general and a Col in recent days and
several other soldiers. Nigeria's Defence Headquarters said insurgents
attacked a key military base in Benisheikh where the general was
killed. The killing of the Commander 29 Brigade, Brigadier-General
Oseni Braimah, who responded with exceptional courage to the attack
has been painful to Nigerians who feel the pain of losing so many
senior officers. Boko Haram and ISWAP who have been fighting and
killing each other for years are now uniting to combat the Nigerian
armed forces and targeting officers to break the command structure of
the armed forces.
Since the war started in 2009, the 17-year Islamist insurgency in
northeast Nigeria has killed thousands of people and displaced at
least 2 million in repeated attacks. Sadly, for the people in the
zone, the insurgency in Nigeria’s north-east and some parts of the
north-west have remained a theatre of persistent violence, with
insurgents repeatedly targeting both civilians and military
formations. What started as Boko Haram has since evolved into
multiple factions, including the Islamic State West Africa Province
(ISWAP), which is linked to the Islamic State (ISIS). ISWAP
intensified its attacks in 2025 when it launched what it described as
the “camp Holocaust” — a strategic campaign aimed at weakening the
operational capacity of security forces by targeting military
positions. The onslaught has led to the killing of more senior
officers.
Many top-quality officers have been lost over the years. They include
DAHIRU CHIROMA BAKO (2020), a colonel under Operation Lafiya Dole, was
ambushed near Wajiroko in Borno state in September 2020. He later died
from injuries sustained in the attack despite undergoing surgery at a
military hospital. Z. MANU (2020), a lieutenant colonel, was killed in
September 2020 during an operation in Katsina state. He died after
bandits ambushed his team in Unguwar Doka village in Faskari LGA.
DZARMA ZIRKUSU (2021), a brigadier general and commander of the 28
Task Force Brigade in Chibok, was killed in November 2021. He died
alongside other soldiers in an ISWAP ambush in Askira Uba, Borno
state.
COL ALIYU SAIDU PAIKO (2025) was killed by Boko Haram fighters when he
was the commanding officer of the 202 Battalion in Bama LGA, along
with other soldiers. MUSA UBA (2025), a brigadier general, was killed
near Wajiroko in Borno state in 2025 after ISWAP fighters ambushed
troops along the Damboa–Wajiroko road. UMAR IBRAHIM MAIRIGA (2026)
killed on March 1, 2026, when fighters linked to the Islamic State
West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked a military formation in Mayenti,
Bama LGA, killing Umar Ibrahim Mairiga, the commanding officer, and
several soldiers. The assault targeted a base near Bama town.
S.I. ILIYASU (2026). On March 6, 2026, insurgents carried out
coordinated attacks on multiple military positions across Borno state,
including Konduga, Mainok, Jakana, and Marte, between 10 pm and 3 pm
the following day. During the offensive, S.I. Iliyasu, a lieutenant
colonel and commanding officer of the 222 Battalion, was killed in an
attack on a major base in the Konduga area. UMAR FAROUQ (2026). On
March 9, 2026, insurgents overran a military base in the Kukawa LGA of
Borno state, killing Umar Farouq, a lieutenant colonel, along with
several soldiers.
What is disturbing is that it is the men and officers of the Nigerian
army that are under siege and not the insurgents. Sadly, our troops
are not getting enough state-of-the-art armaments and equipment to
enable them win the war. Civilians are of course the biggest victims.
According to Amnesty International, at least 1,100 people were
abducted across northern Nigeria between January and April 2026,
warning that the scale and pattern of the attacks reflect a deepening
security crisis and a failure of authorities to protect vulnerable
communities. The organisation said those abducted are often subjected
to extreme violence and inhumane conditions. “Those abducted are
frequently subjected to torture, starvation, amputation, rape, and
forced to witness or commit atrocities.” The group noted that the
abductions, largely driven by ransom demands, have become widespread
across rural communities and camps for internally displaced persons.
While the entire country is unravelling due to the atrocities being
committed by non-state actors who are massacring citizens and security
personnel alike, the focus of the government has been using the
judiciary and the electoral commission to cause confusion within
political parties to block them from contesting next year’s election.
It is unfortunate that there is insufficient focus on addressing the
multiple security, economic and political challenges facing the
country. Continuing with this laissez-aller attitude raises the risk
of system collapse that can do no good to the Nation and the people.
President Tinubu should focus on saving the Nation rather than being
obsessive on presiding over its ruins forever.
Professor Jibrin Ibrahim
Senior Fellow
Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja
Follow me on twitter @jibrinibrahim17
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