Everyone is gearing up for Detty December: the music, the parties, the international hype, and Nigerians finally ready to let loose and enjoy the festive season. But just as the world started looking our way for a good time, the country was hit with a brutal reality check. Instead of filling up our party calendars, we have been waking up to news of one horrific event after another. Nigeria has endured yet another devastating stretch of violence this past week, marked by incidents including a high-profile killing claimed by ISWAP, the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi, and a deadly attack on a church in Kwara. The incidents, spanning different regions and involving distinct armed groups, paint a grim picture of a nation still grappling with overlapping layers of insecurity.
The first event came from Borno State, where fighters belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province claimed to have ambushed a military convoy and captured Brigadier General Musa Uba, the commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade. ISWAP released statements and images asserting that the general had been interrogated and executed shortly after his capture, a claim the Nigerian military initially denied. For several days, the army maintained that Brig. Gen. Uba was “alive and in command,” but on November 19, President Bola Tinubu confirmed his death, describing it as a tragic loss for the nation.
What followed was a troubling split between official communication and insurgent propaganda. ISWAP’s claim, paired with Tinubu’s confirmation, has raised significant questions about the circumstances of Uba’s death, the effectiveness of Nigeria’s military communication, and the possibility that digital surveillance or infiltration may have compromised the general’s safety.
While the country was still reacting to Uba’s reported killing, news broke from Kebbi State that 25 schoolgirls had been abducted during an attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in the town of Maga. The gunmen reportedly scaled the school’s fence in the early hours of the morning and first killed the vice principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, before heading to the students’ hostels. The attackers then fled with the girls, prompting a large-scale search operation involving soldiers, police units, and local vigilantes.
UNICEF, the National Association of Nigerian Students, and several human rights groups have all condemned the attack, calling it a violation of children’s rights and another reminder of the vulnerability of schools in northern Nigeria. The incident calls forth painful memories from Borno, where 276 students from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, were abducted, sparking the #BringBackOurGirls movement. As at 2024, 82 Chibok girls were still missing.
In Zamfara State, gunmen launched a brutal raid on Fegin Baza, a village in Tsafe Local Government Area, leaving the community shaken and grieving. Witnesses report that over 30 heavily armed bandits on motorcycles descended on the area, firing indiscriminately and blocking key roads to trap residents. In the chaos, at least three people were killed, including Umaru Moriki, a prominent APC chieftain known locally as Sarkin Fadan Moriki. Four others sustained gunshot wounds and were later rushed to Tsafe General Hospital for treatment. The violence didn’t stop there: the attackers abducted at least 64 members of the community, among them women and children, and herded them into the forest. A survivor, Abdulrahman Ahmad Dole, described how the bandits blocked the Gusau–Funtua highway, opened fire on passing vehicles, and then forcefully rounded up people. The raid came just a day after Bello Mohammed Matawalle, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, visited Zamfara and pledged to deploy fresh troops to address insecurity.
Barely a day later, a church in the town of Eruku in Kwara State came under attack as worshippers gathered for service, which was being livestreamed. The feed showed the moment gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church building, which held multiple congregants, including an elderly woman who visibly struggled to run and hide like the other worshippers attempted to. At least two people were killed, with around 35 others kidnapped. The attack prompted President Tinubu to postpone a scheduled trip to the G20 summit so he could receive security briefings. Kwara State authorities have since increased patrols and called for stronger protection of religious institutions.
In the early hours of November 17, gunmen descended on St. Stephen’s Parish in Kushe Gudgu, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, storming the priest’s residence and abducting Rev. Fr. Bobbo Paschal, the parish priest. According to the Kaduna Archdiocese, several other people were also taken during the raid, and one victim, who was identified as the brother of another priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony Yero, was killed.
The attack, claimed by local “bandits”, has continued a disturbing pattern of clergy being targeted across Kaduna. In a statement, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Fr. Christian Okewu Emmanuel, implored people of goodwill to pray for the priest’s safe return and for the release of the other hostages.
Taken together, these incidents capture the multidimensional nature of Nigeria’s security crisis. In the northeast, the country continues to battle a resilient insurgency with international affiliations. In the northwest, banditry has metastasised into mass kidnappings and deeply entrenched criminal economies. In the central states, religiously tinged attacks blur the line between banditry, communal violence, and extremist ideology. The simultaneity of the events, occurring within such a condensed timeframe, underscores how stretched Nigeria’s security agencies have become.
For many Nigerians, this week was not shocking so much as wearyingly familiar. Abductions of schoolchildren recall Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara, and countless other cases where rescue efforts took weeks, months, or never succeeded at all. Attacks on religious centres revive painful memories of sectarian tensions. And the killing of a senior military officer by an insurgent group demonstrates how boldly these groups continue to operate despite years of counterterrorism campaigns.
As rescue operations continue in Kebbi and investigations deepen in Borno and Kwara, civil society organisations are renewing calls for a long-term security overhaul. They argue that Nigeria cannot keep responding to crises after they occur, relying on reactionary raids and presidential directives. Instead, they insist on investment in intelligence gathering, community-based security partnerships, advanced surveillance tools, and a unified security communication strategy.
For now, the nation remains on edge. Families in Kebbi wait for news of their daughters. Communities in Kaduna and Zamfara wonder if they’ll ever see their people again. Worshippers in Kwara mourn the dead and hope for the safe return of those taken. And the military grapples with losing a high-ranking officer under circumstances still clouded by propaganda, confusion, and grief.
This past week was a reminder that Nigeria’s security challenges are not isolated but interconnected, and growing more complex and widespread. Wherever you are in the country, do not assume you’re safe. This is your problem too.
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