The crisis has not only claimed thousands of lives and displaced countless populations, but it has also crippled economic and social activities, especially among the rural and vulnerable communities.

Farming, commerce, education, and social cohesion have suffered immensely, while kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative enterprise.

Persistence

The Commander, Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Special Operations Brigade and Commander 248 Recce Battalion in Illela, in Sokoto, a border community with the Niger Republic, Col. Abdullahi Umar, in a chat with this reporter, blamed human rights groups and Nigeria’s legal systems for the prolonged war.

He said, “When the Lakurawas first came in, they used huge amounts of money and used religion to psyche them.

“When we make an arrest, human rights organisations will start criticizing the military for abuse of human rights. For example, we once arrested a bandit and human rights activists went on traditional and social media criticising the military. We handed him over to the police, before long he was bailed.

Don’t forget that it is a community that assisted us to arrest him. He went and placed a levy on the community and recovered all the money he spent.

“I am saying this because the issue of security requires an all of the society approach. If we leave it to the military alone, we cannot win.

“Sometimes you find out that we are moving forward and our legal system because of the loopholes is dragging us backward.

“We have a lot of cases where we have arrested people that attacked communities, lawyers will write and the police will grant them bail and those people return and attack the communities. This starts making the locals lose confidence in law enforcement agencies.”

Porous borders

The commander also said the terrorists were taking advantage of the porous borders in the West African sub-region, particularly the large borders between Nigeria and Niger which span over seven states to carry out their nefarious activities.

He said, “If Niger is conducting operations against them they cross to Nigeria. If Nigeria is conducting operations against them they cross to Niger.

“We need a joint task force similar to what we have in the North-east that is the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF)- regional security arrangement primarily focused on combating Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin region. We need this kind of arrangement to effectively curb the terrorists from operation on the borders of Nigeria and Niger.

“Another issue is that they are highly mobile and have a good knowledge of the terrain. They move on motorcycles. They know how to move on the sands. What we are doing to counter that is we are also training our soldiers on the use of motorcycles.”

Conspiracy of silence

Col. Umar also blamed locals for not reporting the presence of visitors to law enforcement agencies.

“Also, as Nigerians we naturally accept anyone that speaks our language or induces us financially. For example, you find two communities, one in Nigeria and the other in Niger Republic. If a visitor enters a community in Niger republic they immediately report to law enforcement agents quickly.

“But in Nigeria, our own is different. Once the man can speak our language he has become our brother. That is what made Maiduguri suffer. They shielded Boko Haram as their children. It is the same thing that is playing out here.

“They give them huge amounts of money and use religion to psyche them.”

The Hausa-Fulani feud

Speaking with this reporter, the Commander of 1 Brigade Nigerian Army based in Gusau, Brig.-Gen. Timothy Opurum, traced the root of the conflict in Zamfara state to a long-standing feud between Fulani groups and the local (Hausa) militia known as Yan Sakai, which was reportedly triggered by the extra-judicial killing of a Fulani man by the militia group.

He said the military also gathered that the lack of basic amenities, such as schools and healthcare facilities, was fuelling discontent within local communities.

The commander said to address the issue, the military had opened a channel of dialogue with bandits that were willing to lay down their arms as part of its non-kinetic operations in the area.

He said the Brigade had secured the release of 100 kidnap victims through a strategic non-kinetic engagement with critical stakeholders aimed at restoring peace in Zamfara state.

Brig.-Gen. Opurum noted that Zamfara state was the epicenter of insecurity in the North-west, emphasising that tackling the security crisis in the state would address nearly 80 per cent of the region’s security challenges.

“In addressing the crisis, the Brigade initiated dialogue with leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) and Fulani representatives. We discovered that the insecurity was driven by more complex underlying issues.

“During a crucial meeting held on May 4, 2025, the Brigade presented five key demands to the bandits through their intermediaries. These demands included: the unconditional release of all captives, cessation of attacks on commuters, an end to the abduction of farmers, halting the burning of villages and assaults on military positions, and the laying down of arms.

“The bandits accepted the conditions but also insisted that the Yan Sakai militia be either disbanded or significantly curtailed.

“Following the meeting on May 4, the bandits unconditionally released 100 kidnapped victims. This achievement is a great feat, as it was accomplished without any ransom being paid,” Gen. Opurum said.

He revealed further that dialogue was on-going, with plans underway to engage Hausa traditional leaders, including emirs and district heads. According to him, the goal is to convene an expanded meeting of all parties to establish clear timelines for compliance with the agreed mandates.

Weak governance

A teacher at Government Secondary School, Faskari, Katsina state, Mohammed Dansadau, told Blueprint Weekend that poverty and unemployment in the land as well as weak and failed institutions had created fertile grounds for insecurity in the region.

“Factors that were responsible for insecurity in the area are poverty and unemployment, weak governance, and institutional failures, as well as climate change and environmental degradation

“These factors have certainly created a fertile ground for insecurity to thrive, with devastating impacts on our communities.

“Look at the aspect of good governance which is a critical dividend of democracy and local government autonomy. These are aspects that will help secure our country.

“If all the local government chairmen are doing what they are supposed to do at the local level, we won’t be where we are today,” he said.

Collaborators

In his view a farmer in Faskari, Katsina state, Mallam Usman Sadiq, said activities of informants who collaborate with criminal gangs have continued to hinder success in the fight against terrorism.

He, however, said the military and other security agencies are working with the people to fish them out

“Some locals are working as informants for the terrorists by providing them information on troops’ movements, locations, deployments, strength, calibre of weapons and other activities.

“They also supply the terrorists with basic logistics for their daily survival, ranging from supply of petroleum and lubricants, drugs, mosquito nets, kola nuts, recharge cards and food stuff,” he said.

He said their activities undermine the fight against banditry in the region.

“Informants reside in communities where criminal atrocities are committed. Information from previously arrested suspects reveal that most, if not all the information available to bandits and terrorists before they invade villages to abduct people, are predicated on information they secure from people living within the communities,” he said.

GOC’s assurances

Meanwhile, speaking with defence correspondents recently, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Sector 2 Operation Fansan Yamma, Maj.-Gen. Ibikunle Ajose, said troops had heightened onslaughts in Sokoto and Kebbi states and had subdued activities of the Lakurawa terror group.

“We have destroyed their camps in Sokoto and Kebbi states. But because it is a mobile terror group, they moved between Nigeria and Niger Republic, but we are working with our Nigerien counterpart so that they don’t give them breathing space.

“But this achievement came with a price, as some soldiers paid the supreme price and some were decapitated,” he said.

Maj.-Gen. Ajose said the nation’s military had continued to curtail the criss-crossing of the Lakurawa group into Nigeria through engagements with the locals in the border communities.

“In the communities we have a lot of presence, we were able to win the trust of the people and they provide us with information about the movement of this group.

“But we have problems where we don’t have a constant presence. This means that we just go into those communities when there are problems and we leave. In these communities we won’t be able to win the people’s trust. And this is where the state government must come in.

“The state should come in to win their trust by providing them with basic amenities. This will give them a sense of belonging, and subsequently enhance our operations.”

Fielding questions from newsmen about drone threats from the terrorist group, the GOC stated that there had been no drone attacks by terrorists in the North-west.

“We are prepared for any eventuality. We have technology to counter such threats and our personnel are trained to handle them.

“When bandits first deployed a surveillance drone, our troops shot it down, and they haven’t attempted it since,” he said.

Appeal to media

Maj.-Gen. Ajose also urged journalists to support the military in its efforts to rid the country of criminals.

He said, “We welcome constructive criticisms. Nigerian journalists need to go beyond reporting the news about military operations. They should go deep into fact-finding. You have the responsibility to draw our attention to certain issues through your reportage.

“The military welcomes journalists to be embedded, in order for them to report correctly about our operations and inform and educate the populace adequately.”

Theatre commander’s disclosures

Likewise, the Theatre Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY), Maj.-Gen. Oluyinka Soyele, said troops of OPFY were taking the battle to exclaves of terrorists and denying them freedom of action.

He said the security situation in the North-west region had improved significantly thanks to intensified and better-coordinated military operations targeting terrorists and the upgrade of the operation similar to what obtains in the North-east.

Gen. Soyele noted that the operational synergy brought by OPFY has drastically improved the military’s response and combat efficiency across the region.

While highlighting recent gains, he said areas previously overrun by criminal elements “have now been reclaimed by troops, with many previously impassable roads now re-opened and safe for public use.”

He said, “The establishment of the theatre command has made the fight against terrorists more coordinated, unlike before when different units conducted operations independently without proper coordination.

“Now, when an operation is carried out in Zamfara, adjoining forces are placed on alert, effectively preventing the movement of terrorists across state lines.”

He attributed the military’s recent successes to not only improved coordination but also enhanced logistical support and new combat equipment, which have augmented the effectiveness of personnel on the frontline.

However, the theatre commander acknowledged persistent challenges, particularly the difficult terrain and inaccessibility of many remote communities in the North-west, which delayed timely responses to distress reports.

“Many communities in remote areas are inaccessible, making it challenging for us to respond quickly when we receive reports of terrorists in those areas due to the lack of accessible roads, which often serve as hide-outs for them.”

Continuing, he said, “Despite these challenges, the military has adopted a proactive approach to tackling insurgency by pursuing terrorists into their strongholds.

“Our strategy is to take the battle to their enclaves and engage them directly. Through this tactic, we have been able to neutralise many terrorist kingpins.” (Blueprint)