There is a deepening sense of alarm in Nigeria’s North Central region, a region that has, for years, endured simmering tensions but now finds itself on the brink of total collapse. The unrelenting violence in Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa states is no longer just a security issue; it is a humanitarian disaster. What began as sporadic attacks has escalated into widespread killings, mass displacement, and an almost total erosion of public trust in the government's ability to protect its citizens.
In Plateau State alone, the past two weeks have seen the slaughter of 104 individuals, including a pregnant woman and 16 others in the Ruboi community. The carnage didn’t end there, 51 more lives were lost in coordinated village raids, followed by yet another brutal onslaught that claimed 40 additional souls. In neighboring Benue, the pattern is no less horrifying: 40 people dead in a fortnight, including victims of a bus ambush and targeted killings of farmers. Nasarawa State has also tasted bloodshed, with at least 13 persons murdered in Otobi Akpa.
The brutality has forced thousands into displacement, seeking refuge in overcrowded, under-resourced camps where food, water, and healthcare are as scarce as hope. For the victims, survival now means more than just escaping bullets; it means enduring hunger, trauma, and the loss of dignity in the very country that promised them protection.
While state governments have made gestures toward reform, Plateau's Governor Caleb Mutfwang has banned night grazing and restricted motorcycle use, and Benue’s Governor Hyacinth Alia has initiated security dialogues, these actions, though commendable, are not enough. They are reactive steps in the face of what requires a national overhaul of our security apparatus.
The time for band-aid solutions is over. Nigeria must embrace a bold, intelligence-led strategy, one that puts proactive surveillance, digital monitoring, and local intelligence at the heart of its response. Community engagement cannot be treated as an afterthought. Trust must be rebuilt between residents and security agencies, particularly in rural areas that have become hunting grounds for attackers.
The synergy between various security forces—the police, civil defense corps, and military, must go beyond coordination meetings. It must translate to real-time collaboration on the ground, backed by the strategic direction of the National Security Adviser and, ultimately, the President himself.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must not only speak to this crisis, he must act. This is a moment that demands presidential intervention. A state of emergency, backed by federal funding and swift deployment of troops and humanitarian relief, may be the only way to stem the tide of blood.
The North Central is not a peripheral zone of concern; it is Nigeria’s heartland. If it bleeds unchecked, the nation risks hemorrhaging its unity, peace, and identity. Silence is complicity. Delay is deadly.
It is time to act—not with promises, but with purpose. Lives are at stake. The nation is watching.