The recent precision airstrikes in Sokoto State and the surgical arrest of kidnapping kingpins in Kwara State mark a refreshing and long-overdue departure from the hesitation that once characterized Nigeria’s security strategy.
For years, the Nigerian public has watched in horror as bloodthirsty gangs were euphemistically labeled bandits a term that dangerously trivialized their atrocities. By finally classifying these elements as terrorists and treating them with the kinetic ferocity that status warrants, the Federal Government has taken a decisive step toward reclaiming our national sovereignty
We commend the Tinubu administration for discarding the kid gloves. The semantic distinction between terrorists (often reserved for Boko Haram/ISWAP) and bandits(used for Northwest militias) was always a distinction without a difference. Both groups displace communities, levy illegal taxes, rape, kill, and challenge the authority of the state. By formally erasing this distinction, the government has liberated our military to deploy its full arsenal including the Super Tucano jets and the MQ-9 Reaper drones used in the Boxing Day strike without the legal or optical constraints of civil police operations.
The effectiveness of this new “No Mercy” doctrine is already evident. The joint operation in the Bauni forest and the swift apprehension of the notorious ‘viral video’ gunman, Abubakar Usman, demonstrate what is possible when political will matches military capability.
However, classification is only the first step; annihilation of the threat is the goal. The government must ensure this is not a fleeting burst of energy but a sustained campaign. There must be no amnesty, no rehabilitation for active combatants, and certainly no negotiations with those who have turned our forests into slaughterhouses.
Nigeria has bled enough. If they want to live by the sword of terror, the state must ensure they die by the sword of justice. The gloves are off, and they must remain off.
Best,
Mathew Ibiyemi
Nigerian NewsDirect
