Blame certain northern governors for rise in terrorism, says Dele Sobowale

According to Saul Bellow, "In every community, there is a class of people profoundly dangerous to the rest, I don’t mean the criminals, for them we have punitive sanctions, I mean the leaders, invariably, the most dangerous people seek power" – as quoted in the VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 124, written by the renowned author from 1915-2005.

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Newspaper headlines were grim a day before the Eid-el-Fitr 2026, as the end of Ramadan, once a joyful occasion, had become threatening and mournful across Nigeria, with no place spared from the fear of violence on celebration days declared by the government, a stark contrast to the past.

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The hope for relief is fading rapidly with each new assault by terrorists, and there is growing despair about the government's ability to provide security to citizens, many of whom have surrendered sovereignty to bandits by paying imposed levies in various communities.

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A former security officer has characterized the sweeping change of service chiefs, followed by the appointment of Army General Musa as Minister of Defence, as "movement without motion", highlighting the perceived ineffectiveness of these changes.

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Sheik Abubakar Gumi's recent allegation of governments' involvement in secret negotiations with terrorists, which remains unchallenged, has deepened the trust deficit associated with efforts to address the problems, with too many suspicious elements present in the corridors of power.

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Ibadan in Oyo State experienced its own terror incident when nine people were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, CRIN, with ransom paid but not all victims returned.

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A series of news reports capture the mood of gloom pervading the nation, particularly in the North, including "Terrorists threaten to kill 32 abducted Kaduna villagers over N30m ransom" – Report, March 18, 2026, and "Maiduguri bombings: Military chiefs arrive Borno after Tinubu’s directive" – Report, March 18, 2026.

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Other reports include "Insecurity: How Nigeria spent N32.8trn on defence in 15 years" – Report, March 19, 2026, "Kwara massacre: 176 abducted victims still held after 46 days" – Report, March 21, 2026, and "Borno Government to shoulder medical bills, as Zulum visits Maiduguri blast victims" – Report, March 21, 2026.

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Further reports highlight the ongoing insecurity, such as "IDP camp residents to FG: If you can’t take us home, say it, stop pretending" – Report, March 21, 2026, "Nigeria recorded two world’s deadliest attacks [May 15 and September 5, 2025]" – Report, March 22, 2026, and "IED blasts kill nine in Kwara, Niger communities" – Report, March 24, 2026.

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The March 19, 2026 report detailing the vast expenditure of N32.8trn in 15 years summarizes the national predicament, with VANGUARD also reminding that "Nigeria recorded over 100,000 violent deaths since 2012", implicating three Presidents and their governments in the seeming intractable national disaster.

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Every day brings Nigerians another grim report, suggesting that federal and state governments have repeatedly failed to discharge their personal responsibility to provide security for lives and properties, with the March 22, 2026 news report ranking Nigeria fourth globally on terrorism, as per the 2026 Global Terrorism Index release.

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The report is a damning indictment of all governments, starting with late President Yar’Adua, as well as past and present security chiefs, with Boko Haram growing in strength and spawning other terrorist groups nationally since 2009, making terrorism in Nigeria hydra-headed and virtually defying solution.

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As Horace, 65-8 BC, once said, "For every folly of their princes, the Greeks feel the lash", and Nigerians, particularly in the North, are now chastised with scorpions due to the myopic leadership of hundreds of leaders in high offices, including Presidents, Governors, National Security Advisers, and Chiefs of Armed Forces.

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Buhari's eight years in office, following six years of Yar’Adua, saw the seeds of destruction planted, and the problem worsened from 2015 to 2023, with propaganda deployed to claim "Boko Haram has been decimated", a lie exposed by today's truth, with almost three years of Tinubu's administration landing Nigeria in the unenviable position of ranking fourth on the Global Terrorism Index, GTI.

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A chart reveals that 3.7 million Nigerians are reported displaced in March 2026, with eight states accounting for 3,341,000 or 91% of them, and Borno State alone accounting for 46% of all displaced persons in Nigeria, with reasons for this situation being ignored at the nation's peril.

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The figures put into a global context show that about 30-35 nations have populations of 500,000 or less, which is the number of displaced persons in Benue alone, and nearly 40 countries have populations of 1.7 million or less, which is the IDP population in Borno State, with Nigeria ranking ninth globally on IDPs and fourth on multi-dimensional terrorism.

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Professor Zulum's decision to grant amnesty to 30,000 "repentant" Boko Haram terrorists has been criticized, with the former university don being duped by clever and dangerous men, and his actions have deployed thousands of Boko Haram moles to prey on the people of Borno State, with the March 28, 2026 report highlighting the deep penetration of terrorists in the state.

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The current Governors of Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna are victims of questionable decisions made by their predecessors, with Maisari, Matawalle, and El-Rufai having attempted to negotiate with terrorists and paid extortion money, only to be double-crossed and become financiers of the hoodlums.

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Matawalle claimed to have carried N900 million to terrorists in 300 Zamfara forests, and El-Rufai admitted to paying compensation to herders who invaded farms and wreaked havoc in parts of Kaduna state, with Benue being the only state with a large IDP population not victimized by its governors, past and present.