Foreign powers will not solve Nigeria’s insecurity. Superpowers act in pursuit of their national interests. Nigeria must do the same. Counterterrorism efforts succeed when states take the lead, collaborate, and maintain pressure. Outsourcing your security strategy can lead to dependence and disappointment. Abuja must therefore lead the fight politically, operationally and morally.
Nigeria is at a critical crossroads in its fight against terrorism. As of this article’s publication, coordinated attacks continue across multiple regions. Despite international signals and temporary foreign intervention, bombings, kidnappings and targeted killings continue. In late 2025, outside forces were unable to deter the violent network. Nigeria therefore needs to act with clarity, determination and sovereign purpose.
One of the most important measures taken in 2025 was the proposal to designate terrorist groups and their affiliates. Approximately 40 entities were identified, ranging from funders, intermediaries, protectors, and legalizers. This approach reflects modern counterterrorism principles. Violence collapses when money, logistics, protection, and ideological oxygen run out. It’s important to name these layers. It is even more important to enforce the law against them.
Nigeria’s central challenge is not the absence of a parliament. That is a failure of execution. Compromise corrupts business. Obstruction weakens the prosecution. Selective application erodes legitimacy. Terrorist networks exploit these gaps with discipline and patience. President Bola Tinubu must therefore set a non-negotiable executive agenda in January this year. Capture the operative. destroy cells. Incapacitate leaders where lawful and necessary. Above all, we stop recruitment before violent behavior metastasizes.
Foreign powers will not solve Nigeria’s insecurity. Superpowers act in pursuit of their national interests. Nigeria must do the same. Counterterrorism efforts succeed when states take the lead, collaborate, and maintain pressure. Outsourcing your security strategy can lead to dependence and disappointment. Abuja must therefore lead the fight politically, operationally and morally.
International cooperation remains important. Nigeria should lead a pragmatic coalition against Islamist terrorism across West Africa. Information sharing, border security coordination, financial tracking, and joint training increase the costs of violence. Nevertheless, cooperation must complement, not replace, domestic resolve.
Understanding how individuals and groups acquire the terrorist label clarifies the policy arena. International consensus is still lacking. The United Nations has long struggled to come up with a uniform definition of terrorism. Instead, it condemns tactics such as bombings, hijackings, kidnappings and mass-casualty violence. Focusing on methods rather than motives gives Nigeria strategic freedom. Targeting civilians for coercive purposes is indefensible. The state should prosecute them without ambiguity.
Scholar Bruce Hoffman once described terrorists as violent intellectuals who use force to pursue their goals. That insight remains important. Terrorism combines ideology and calculation. It feeds on grievances, identities, and opportunities. When violence continues longer than necessary, citizens begin to doubt the authorities’ tolerance or complicity. That perception undermines trust and accelerates radicalization.
Nigeria must therefore address the situation exploited by terrorists. Security operations alone cannot end the insurgency. Economic exclusion, youth unemployment, corruption, electoral fraud, and perceived fraud provide recruits faster than bullets can eliminate them. In my opinion, prevention is the deciding factor. We will ensure that complaints are addressed. Restore trust in institutions. I will protect my vote. We will ensure thorough accountability.
International cooperation remains important. Nigeria should lead a pragmatic coalition against Islamist terrorism across West Africa. Information sharing, border security coordination, financial tracking, and joint training increase the costs of violence. Nevertheless, cooperation must complement, not replace, domestic resolve.
President Tinubu has the constitutional authority and political mandate to reset Nigeria’s counterterrorism posture. January 2026 should mark the beginning of disciplined execution, proactive governance, and strategic clarity. Terrorism thrives in hesitation. It declines under sustained and legitimate state power.
History provides useful guidance. Amid a series of hijackings around the world, the United States, under President Richard Nixon, clarified firm counterterrorism principles. Nigeria needs to adapt the following principles to its context.
We unequivocally reject terrorism. There is no justification for criminal violence. Leading through law and diplomacy while pursuing collective solutions. Prosecute and punish terrorists using all lawful means. Deploy all available resources to secure the release of the hostages. Deepen cooperation with regional and global partners.
There are no simple solutions. However, gaining credibility requires action. When states demonstrate intent but fail to act, they invite further attacks. Nigeria therefore needs a coherent national security strategy that reduces vulnerability, limits damage and facilitates recovery after an attack.
President Tinubu has the constitutional authority and political mandate to reset Nigeria’s counterterrorism posture. January 2026 should mark the beginning of disciplined execution, proactive governance, and strategic clarity. Terrorism thrives in hesitation. It declines under sustained and legitimate state power.
Oludare Ogunlana is a security and intelligence scholar and principal consultant at OGUN Security Research and Strategic Consulting LLC.
