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Governors panic, cry for help as terrorists overwhelm states in Nigeria
Nigeria’s security architecture seems overwhelmed as terrorists tighten their grip on vast territories across multiple states, forcing governors to issue desperate pleas for federal intervention.
From the Northeast to the Southwest, armed groups—including Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru, Lukawara, and Fulani ethnic militias—are seizing villages, renaming communities, and displacing thousands in what state leaders describe as an unfolding “genocide.”
*Plateau: A State Under Occupation
Diaspora Digital Media had reported earlier that Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State had declared that about 64 communities in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs have been forcibly occupied by terrorists.
Plateau State has been a flashpoint for ethno-religious and resource-based conflicts over the years.
“They have taken over, renamed these villages, and now live comfortably on lands they violently seized,” Muftwang revealed during an interview.
“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists.
“The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel.
“We must come to the point where we know the sponsors because it is not just the work of ordinary people. This is being sponsored from somewhere.
Governor Muftwang
“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau. They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy.
The governor dismissed the usual narrative of “farmer-herder clashes,” insisting that the attacks are state-sponsored terrorism aimed at ethnic cleansing.
“This is genocide. Who are the sponsors? Security agencies must unmask them,” he demanded.
Recent attacks in Bokkos LGA left over 50 dead and thousands homeless, deepening fears of total territorial loss.
*Borno: Losing Ground to Boko Haram
In the Northeast, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum sounded the alarm after terrorists overran military bases in Wajirko, Sabon Gari (Damboa), Wulgo (Gamboru Ngala), and Izge (Gwoza).
“We are losing ground,” Zulum admitted during an emergency security meeting.
“It is unfortunate that the renewed Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in many communities almost on a daily basis without confrontation signalled that Borno State is losing ground.
“While my administration has been very supportive of the military and other security agencies in the fight against Boko Haram, it is disheartening to note the recent attacks and dislodgement of military formations in Wajirko, Sabon Gari in Damboa, Wulgo in Gamboru Ngala, and Izge in Gwoza, along with the killing of innocent civilians and security agencies.
“More efforts have to be put in place through equipping and deploying technological warfare to the military to stem the tide of all renewed attacks bedevilling parts of the Sahelian Borno, which shares international borders with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon,” he added.
The Shehu of Borno, the state’s top traditional ruler, confirmed that three LGAs—Guzamala, Marte, and Abbadam—remain under full Boko Haram control, with no government presence.
*Southwest: Terrorists Fleeing Military Operations Infiltrate Region
Meanwhile, the Southwest is bracing for an influx of terrorists fleeing military operations in the Northwest.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde recently warned of bandits and foreign jihadists relocating to the state’s forests.
“We will find and deal with them,” Makinde vowed.
The Department of State Services (DSS) recently foiled an ISWAP bomb-making cell in Ilesa, Osun State, arresting 10 suspects and over 100 undocumented foreigners suspected of terrorist links.
Security expert David Idah revealed that terrorists are smuggling fighters into the Southwest via trucks loaded with migrants* from Mali, Niger, and Mauritania. Others enter through Benin Republic, exploiting weak border controls.
*Amotekun: The Last Line of Defense?
The Southwest’s regional security force, Amotekun, has been instrumental in intercepting terrorists.
By conducting stop-and-search operations on highways, they’ve prevented armed groups from gaining a foothold.
A traditional ruler in Ondo State, who spoke anonymously, credited Amotekun’s success to its local intelligence network:
“Our men patrol forests and highways. If they spot suspicious foreigners, they arrest them immediately.”
The Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), codenamed Operation Amotekun (Yoruba for “Leopard” or “Cheetah”) and simply known as the Amotekun, is a security outfit based in all the six states of the South Western, Nigeria, responsible for curbing insecurity in the region.
It was founded on 9 January 2020 in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria as the first regional security outfit initiated by a geopolitical zone in Nigeria.
Amotekun operatives on patrol
*A Nation on the Edge?
With terrorists seizing villages in the middle belt, Boko Haram seizing territories in the north, and jihadists infiltrating the Southwest, Nigeria’s security architecture appears overwhelmed.
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