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Why Northern Nigeria Governors Not Serious About Eradicating Terrorists, Bandits
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Retired General Ishola Williams, a former Commandant of the Army Signals, has spoken out against Nigeria’s security architecture, citing its ineffectiveness in addressing the growing issues of banditry and terror attacks.
He specifically criticised both military and political leaders for their lack of efficiency and willpower in tackling these challenges.
Williams emphasised that the situation has spiralled out of control, with bandits now operating freely and controlling large areas in the North. He argued that this is no longer just a matter of terrorism, but a more complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach.
Notably, Williams suggested that the military’s role should be focused on protecting the territorial integrity of the country, rather than pursuing bandits, which is the responsibility of the Mobile Police. He also advocated for the separation of National Paramilitary Force from the police service, recommending that it should be an independent entity.
Williams in an interview with Sunday PUNCH pointed out the claims of collusion between security agencies and bandits, as alleged by figures such as Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and some northern governors.
“Do they have the will to face the bandits and defeat them? For me, if they don’t have the will, it simply means they are useless,” he remarked.
He emphasised that the military’s primary role is to protect the country’s territorial integrity, not to engage in internal counterterrorism operations. He proposed strengthening paramilitary police forces, such as the mobile police, to combat insurgency effectively.
The retired general criticised the reliance on the military to perform roles meant for specialised agencies and called for the restructuring of the Nigeria Police Force.
He said, “What is very important is that the military is doing the job of the mobile police. The mobile police was created separately from the regular police, with a different uniform and training, to carry guns like soldiers and fight bandits, kidnappers, and insurgents. That was why the mobile police was created.
“When the mobile police cannot do the job, the military is expected to support them, not to take over. But what we have seen is that the Nigerian police are confusing the job of policing with that of paramilitary policing, and that is a very big problem for the country.
“Therefore, you must separate paramilitary policing from ordinary policing. Policing should be at the state and local levels, not at the national level. This means you need to divide the Nigeria Police Force into a crime intelligence and criminal investigation agency.
“Also, there should be the National Paramilitary Force, which will now be the mobile police. They will be a separate agency and have a commander-general like the Customs and Immigration. Once they become a separate agency, they will have a clear focus. That means that the Inspector General of Police will be in charge of maintaining standards, training, monitoring, evaluation, and feedback on state policing. So, the existing Nigeria Police Force that you have now will disappear.”
Addressing the political dimensions of insecurity, Williams advocated for political solutions alongside military efforts. He made reference to the South-East crisis involving the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), suggesting that releasing IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu and engaging regional leaders could quell unrest.
“The killings and attacks will stop if a political solution is found,” he asserted, criticising the lack of proactive measures by both state and federal governments.
On the northern security crisis, Williams blamed governors for their inaction, particularly regarding the Almajiri system and the influence of traditional rulers. He cited instances of collaboration between traditional leaders and bandits, such as the turbaning of notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, as evidence of deeper systemic issues.
He said, “They (Governors) are not serious. If they cannot take care of Almajiri, can they take care of the terrorists? If you go to most parts of the North, you will see those children loitering about the whole place.
“The governors couldn’t take care of that. Don’t forget that there was a case of a governor who negotiated with a terrorist leader. Apart from that, Bello Turji was turbaned. Or didn’t you see the picture of him being turbaned with an emir?
“But how many emirs have been caught in the North by the governors for colluding with the terrorists? And how many of them have been taken to court? Yet people are being killed daily across the states. The governors are simply not serious.”
He recalled that Bello Turji (the notorious bandit kingpin) said “one important thing”.
Williams said, “He (Bello Turji) said, ‘The military knows where I am. Come and attack me.’ After that, he said, ‘Okay, since you don’t want to come, I am coming.’ So, where in the world can you see that? All the military could say is, ‘Oh, we will deal with him.’ But nothing has happened up until now. And the man is confident.
“In fact, let us go back to what Sheikh Gumi told everybody. He said the military intelligence and the security agencies know where the bandits are. Even the northern governors have said the security agencies are in collusion with the bandits. So, is anybody serious about bringing the security situation to an end? Are they serious?”
Williams dismissed claims that Boko Haram’s sophistication is too advanced for local forces to handle, arguing that the group’s operations are not insurmountable if intelligence agencies are properly equipped and functional.
He questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s intelligence services, calling for accountability regarding the sources of Boko Haram’s funding and supplies.
Reflecting on the broader implications, he called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture and urged the government to adopt a pragmatic, problem-solving approach to ensure the safety of its citizens.
There was pandemonium in Tudun Yola Quarters of Kano metropolis after a 34-year-old man, identified as Rabiu Mukthar, allegedly opened fire on people attending a marriage ceremony, killing one person and injuring three others.
The Kano State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying the suspect used a pump-action gun to sporadically shoot at the gathering during the celebration.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the suspect reportedly came out of his house while music was being played at the marriage ceremony and opened fire on those attending the event.
According to him, the police immediately swung into action after receiving information about the incident and arrested Mukthar alongside another person.
He added that the pump-action gun allegedly used in the attack was recovered from the suspect.
During interrogation, Mukthar reportedly told the police that the organisers of the musical event did not consult residents before holding the celebration.
He was quoted as saying that the loud music disturbed him and prevented him from sleeping, prompting him to resort to shooting at the gathering.
The police said Mukthar and the other suspect are currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Kano State Police Command as an investigation into the incident continues.
The command condemned the attack and reiterated the need for residents to seek lawful means of resolving disputes rather than resorting to violence.
The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a secondary school student who sells nude videos to his classmates for N500,000.
Omosetemi Agbede-Zuokumor, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ugborikoko Division, disclosed this at a town hall.
At the town hall in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, the Chief Superintendent of Polcie (CSP) raised the alarm while recounting an outreach conducted by her team at a secondary school in Delta State.
According to her account, police personnel seized several expensive smartphones, including iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and Samsung devices, after allegedly discovering students watching pornographic content and engaging in sexual activities during school hours.
However, the investigation took a more disturbing turn after one male student unlocked his phone for the officers.
Speaking in a trending video, Agbede-Zuokumor said officers allegedly discovered several intimate videos and photographs involving female students from the boy’s class on the device.
“After we went to the school and seized the secondary school students’ phones, one of the students unlocked his phone, and we found almost nude videos of his female classmates,” she said.
She alleged that the student claimed the videos were being sold.
The officer further claimed that the student had more than 85 foreign phone numbers, including Australian numbers, which he allegedly used in online fraudulent activities.
She said the student was allegedly using photographs of white or foreign-looking individuals, commonly referred to as “oyibo faces”, as part of the scheme to deceive people online.
According to the officer, the student also allegedly had the intimate images and videos of female classmates on the same device and was reportedly selling them for as much as ₦500,000.
She added that the boy reportedly told officers that the female students had asked him to sell the material on their behalf.
The allegations have raised serious concerns over the exposure of children to cybercrime, pornography and the non-consensual circulation of intimate material among young people.
The officer also expressed concern over the type of smartphones being used by some of the students, noting that many of those whose phones were seized reportedly possessed expensive devices despite coming from families engaged in small-scale businesses.
“Most of these students are using iPhone 15 and 16, while their parents are petty business owners,” she said.
She described the situation as troubling and warned of the potential consequences for young people becoming involved in cybercrime and other harmful online activities at an early age.
The officer further disclosed that some parents later visited her office seeking the return of the seized devices.
“It’s sad to see that their parents came to my office to collect back the destruction of this generation,” she said.
The reported incident has sparked concerns about the growing exposure of young people to pornography, cybercrime and the misuse of smartphones, while also highlighting the need for stronger parental guidance, digital education and safeguarding measures in schools.
The allegations made by the officer have not been independently verified and the identities of the students and the school involved were not disclosed.
Property and other valuables worth millions of naira have been lost to a fire incident that gutted the popular Oranyan Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Sunday night.
The affected shops included jewellery shops, furniture outlets, second-hand clothing shops and others.
The cause of the fire, which started in one of the shops before spreading to others, had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
A trader, who simply identified herself as Iya Alia, said, “The fire started around midnight. I cannot be specific about that time. And those affected were gold sellers, furniture shops, second-hand clothes shops and many others. The shops affected were almost 300.”
Another eyewitness, who did not want his name in print, said, “This is devastating. This is huge. I don’t even know how to explain it. Close to 300 shops were destroyed.”
When contacted by our correspondent on Monday in Ibadan, the state capital, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services, Morof Akinwande, confirmed the incident.
He said, “Yes, it occurred. That number we cannot ascertain, but what is known is that some shops were destroyed and the fire incident started in the middle of the market with an explosion.
“Whether it’s a gas explosion or other things, when you have a gas explosion, it would spread. But as I’m talking to you, the situation has been under control since 1am.
“On the number of shops and inventory, that is too early because that’s part of the post-fire outbreak investigation. So, I cannot be accurate about the number of shops that were destroyed. But shops were actually gone.”
Nigerian Tribune reports that a similar incident occurred at the herbal section of the market in 2024, when over 200 shops were completely razed.
It will also be recalled that a fire incident on Saturday, August 22, 2026, razed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway Shopping Complex, located along the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State.
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