The State of Fear: How insecurity is rewriting Nigeria’s national identity
By Sam Agogo
Nigeria today stands on the brink of a dangerous precipice, a nation where fear has quietly become the new normal. From crowded cities to the most remote villages, insecurity has seeped into daily life, threatening not only lives and property but the very essence of what it means to be Nigerian.
What once appeared to be isolated banditry or localised insurgency has evolved into a nationwide nightmare, a collective trauma that spares no class, tribe, religion, or region.
In the North-West and North-Central, states such as Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Zamfara, Plateau, and Benue now live under a perpetual cloud of terror. Bandits and terrorists raid homes, torch communities, and abduct citizens for ransom with chilling boldness.
In the North-East, Boko Haram and ISWAP remain relentless, continuing their attacks on soft targets and security formations. Even Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, no longer feels insulated, as kidnappings and violent incursions inch disturbingly close to the nation’s seat of power.
The South-East tells its own grim story. In Imo, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi, violent separatist attacks, killings, and assaults on public infrastructure have plunged the region into fear and economic decline.
The South-West, including states like Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo, battles farmer-herder conflicts, highway abductions, and cult-related killings. Meanwhile, the South-South, with Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and others, continues to grapple with oil theft, militancy, and ritual violence. From every compass point, Nigeria appears to be bleeding without restraint.
Not even sacred spaces remain spared. Churches and mosques have been invaded, worshippers killed, and holy grounds desecrated, a painful reminder that today’s insecurity respects neither God, nor law, nor humanity.
Even the once-sacrosanct status of national security veterans has crumbled; the recent abduction of a retired Army General, freed only after a huge ransom, illustrates just how deep the rot now runs.
The human cost is devastating. Thousands displaced. Children orphaned. Entire households shattered. Economic life has collapsed in many communities as farmers abandon their fields and traders flee once-bustling markets.
The psychological strain is unmistakable: residents barricade themselves behind iron gates, tall fences, private security guards, and community vigilantes, trusting these more than the state institutions constitutionally mandated to protect them.
Yet, amid this darkening landscape, one truth stands firm: Nigeria cannot continue this way. The government must move beyond rhetoric and embrace a new security architecture, one driven by technology, intelligence, and rapid response.
Community policing must shift from slogan to strategy, empowering neighbourhoods with structured oversight, training, and accountability.
Drones, modern surveillance tools, and data-driven crime-fighting systems must become central to security operations. And security agencies must be adequately equipped, trained, and motivated to confront evolving criminal networks.
Leadership remains pivotal. Governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and civil society must rise above politics and forge genuine collaboration.
No region, no state, no community can defeat insecurity alone. What Nigeria needs now is unity of purpose, political will, and moral clarity.
Ultimately, this struggle is not just about deploying guns or erecting checkpoints. It is about restoring justice, reviving the economy, and rebuilding hope. Sustainable peace thrives where citizens feel protected and valued.
But where poverty, corruption, and exclusion dominate, violence finds fertile ground.
If Nigeria fails to act decisively, fear may soon eclipse freedom, and become our new national identity.
For comments, reflections, and further conversation:
📩 Email: samuelagogo4one@yahoo.com
📞 Phone: +234 805 584 7364
