THE BANDITS STRANGLEHOLD: HOW NIGERIA’S FAILURE TO SECURE ITS PEOPLE EMPOWERS TERRORISTS AND IMPLICATES THE STATE ITSELF.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com

A Nation Held Hostage, When Criminals Dictate Terms of Survival, What Happens to Sovereignty?

On the bitter cusp of 2026, a grim reality has descended upon the heart of Nigeria’s middle belt (specifically Kwara State’s South Senatorial District) where armed bandits have not only asserted their dominance but brazenly dictated terms that should chill any sane observer to the bone. Over twenty-two innocent citizens are currently being held hostage across several rural communities and their captors have issued a chilling ultimatum: “PAY AN ASTRONOMICAL ₦400 MILLION, DELIVER FOOD, DRINKS AND OTHER SUPPLIES OR THE CAPTIVES WILL NOT WALK FREE.”

Think about that for a moment: criminals (self-styled bandits) establishing economic demands on behalf of human freedom, goods and the sustenance of desperate families. This is not rural barter or a local dispute. This is extortion on an industrial scale which is been carried out not by a sovereign power of state but by men with guns hiding in forests and hills.

A Crime Syndicate Operating in Broad Daylight.

The incident has left families, elders and local leaders in agonizing limbo. A traditional ruler, Oba Simeon Olanipekun of Ile-Ere district, his son and a Youth Corps member were among those seized in December 2025 and are still in captivity. Observers report that these criminals migrated from areas where security presences were stronger to communities with little or no military or police infrastructure, highlighting the glaring holes in Nigeria’s security architecture.

Local communities such as Adanla, Isapa, Isanlu-Isin, and Owa-Onire (places once known for farming, trade and family life) are now theaters of terror. These kidnappers are no longer isolated marauders; they are organized, emboldened and adaptive, shifting operations to areas of least resistance and most vulnerability.

The Systemic Failure of the Security State.

Where, one must ask with righteous fury, is the Nigerian government while this unraveling disaster continues? How can a nation that claims sovereignty and constitutional duty to protect lives and property sit idle while armed bandits determine ransom for human freedom?

This is not an anomaly. This is not a rare incident. Nigeria is experiencing a nationwide epidemic of insecurity, from schoolchildren abducted in the Northwest to communities ravaged by bandits and terrorists demanding multimillion-naira ransoms.

According to research, between July 2022 and June 2023 alone, 3,620 kidnapping incidents across the country resulted in ransom demands totaling at least ₦5 billion, with verified payouts in the hundreds of millions. This demonstrates not only the scale of the problem but the systemic normalization of ransom as a revenue stream for criminals.

Let that sink in: criminal enterprises are effectively shaping economic transactions that should be under the sovereign domain of the state. It is a reality that no responsible government should tolerate and YET HERE WE ARE.

The Brutal Logic of Kidnap for Ransom.

These kidnappings are not isolated blips; they erode the very fabric of society. Land becomes unsafe. Farms lie fallow. Education grinds to a halt. Markets shrink. Life itself becomes a negotiable commodity.

The terrains where these bands operate (dense forests, hills, and porous borders) indeed give these criminals a tactical advantage. This is not just geography; it is a reflection of governance abandonment. When the state abandons its highways, villages and forests to lawlessness, it is no wonder that bandits fill the vacuum.

Professor Alex Egwu, a renowned Nigerian security expert, once stated:

“Security is the cornerstone of every functioning society. Without it, livelihoods wither, economies fail and the social contract between the people and the state collapses.”

Today, that collapse is evident in the cries of Kwara families who have watched their loved ones taken with impunity, while the state appears still.

The Myth of Government Commitment.

Officials from both the federal government and the Kwara State Government have spoken of efforts to deploy forest guards, engage in joint patrols and coordinate security agencies. While these statements sound reassuring on paper, they have done little to dislodge the terror networks or bring victims home.

Critics argue that these measures are toothless gestures, designed more for public relations than decisive action. Lieutenant-General Chukwuma Okeke (Rtd.), a former military strategist, warned:

“When security strategies are reactive instead of proactive and lack sustained intelligence and local engagement, they become ceremonial instead of effective.”

And that is precisely what we are witnessing: a ceremonial response to a crisis that requires strategic, coordinated military and civil action.

The Question of Complicity.

As the ransom demands grow larger and the captors bolder, a troubling question emerges: Has the Nigerian government implicitly tolerated banditry? At what point does tolerance become complicity? When criminals can call the shots, demand ransom, and flaunt their activities without fear of immediate arrest or neutralization, is the state still governing?

Some analysts argue that military and political neglect, corruption and internal fractures within Nigerian security agencies have created an environment where kidnappers operate with confidence. This is not mere speculation, it is the observable consequence of decades of underinvestment in security, poor leadership and political distractions.

The Human Toll and National Impact.

The impact of this insecurity moves beyond Kwara. Farmers abandon crops. Children fear school. Entire towns warn travellers away. Insurance markets collapse. Investments dry up. Confidence in public institutions plummets.

As economist Dr. Funmi Olajide once observed:

“Insecurity is not just a security issue, it is an economic and social catastrophe that stifles growth and destroys potential.”

Nigeria (a nation with vast human and natural resources) should be feeding not only itself but exporting to the world. Instead, it imports food it could grow, as farmers are too afraid to till their lands due to bandit threats. The ransom economy feeds criminal networks and starves legitimate economic growth.

The Time for Half-Measures Has Passed.

Where on Earth does a government sit still and allow common bandits to make demands on its people as though they were sovereign powers? The Nigerian state must be reminded (forcefully) that security is not optional but foundational.

The Nigerian Constitution’s first obligation is the safety and security of its citizens. To allow bandits to hold communities for ransom is to abdicate that responsibility.

President Theodore Roosevelt once said:

“The first duty of government is to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people.”

TODAY, THAT DUTY STANDS UNFULFILLED IN KWARA AND ACROSS NIGERIA.

Summative Insight: A Nation at a Crossroads.

Nigeria is at a crossroads. It can continue with reactive, minimal interventions that yield negligible results and or it can confront this crisis head-on with strategic military action, robust community intelligence networks, genuine political will and zero tolerance for ransom economies.

The people of Kwara deserve more than platitudes. They deserve action. They deserve a state that secures its borders, protects its citizens and confronts criminality wherever it lurks and without hesitation, without equivocation, without delay.

The world is watching. Nigeria itself cannot afford to look away any longer.