Damage Control and Misplaced Priorities: Tinubu’s Security Emergency Is Too Little, Too Late

Barely 48 hours after nationwide outrage over the escalating banditry crisis fueled by attacks from Kano to Kebbi and the haunting video of terrorists taunting Nigerians that “the government did not rescue” kidnapped schoolgirls, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally reacted.

A sweeping statement from the State House now declares a “nationwide security emergency,” announces mass recruitment into the military and police, activates forest guards, and orders the use of NYSC camps as training depots.

On the surface, it sounds bold.
It sounds decisive. It sounds like leadership finally waking up. But beneath the fanfare lies the grim reality:
Nigeria is once again witnessing damage control dressed up as urgency, misplaced priorities presented as national strategy.

A Response Born From Pressure, Not Proactivity

For months, Nigerians have been pleading, protesting, screaming into the void as bandits overrun villages, abduct schoolchildren, sack communities, and expand their territorial grip with frightening confidence. The government’s response until now has been denial, slow reactions, and ambiguous explanations as always.

The President’s sudden declaration only came after the situation reached national embarrassment after terrorists publicly mocked the state, after communities expressed collective despair, and after Nigerians questioned whether the government was quietly negotiating or simply losing control.

This is not proactive leadership, This is reactionary governance damage control triggered by public humiliation.

More Boots on the Ground, but Where Is the Strategy?

Tinubu announced:
20,000 additional police recruits (now totaling 50,000), New military recruits, NYSC camps converted into training centres, Withdrawal of VIP protection officers for redeployment, DSS forest guards unleashed to flush out terrorists.

But my question is:
How does increasing numbers solve a problem rooted in intelligence failure, weak coordination, compromised officials, poor surveillance, and lack of accountability?

More personnel without a coherent strategy is not a solution,
it’s a numerical distraction, We’ve recruited before, We’ve deployed before, We’ve declared emergencies before. Yet terrorists still roam freely, boast publicly, and abduct civilians without consequence.

The Misplaced Priority of Using NYSC Camps

In a country where corps members already fear for their safety, turning NYSC camps into makeshift police training grounds raises red flags. Why not rehabilitate abandoned military barracks? Why not invest more in proper facilities?
Again, quick fixes.
Again, shortcuts.
Again, urgency replacing planning.

President Tinubu praised security agencies for securing the release of captives, including the 24 Kebbi schoolgirls. But Nigerians still deserves to know:
Why were the terrorists bold enough to release a video saying they refused to release others because the government didn’t rescue them? Why are so many victims “regaining freedom” with zero arrests made? Why do kidnappers repeatedly operate in the same enclaves the government claims to know?

Praise without accountability like I usually say is not leadership, It is political theatre.

State Police: A Step in the Right Direction, But Why Only Now?

Tinubu’s call for the National Assembly to review laws enabling state police is one of the few genuinely progressive parts of his statement.

But again, I ask:
Why wait until bandits have ravaged half the north before embracing an idea that security experts and even southwest governors have championed for over a decade?

The timing feels less like reform
and more like desperation.
Sympathies Are Not Enough
Yes, the President expressed sympathy to families of victims.
Yes, he honored fallen soldiers.
But sympathy without decisive, measurable action changes nothing.

We do not need condolences, We need results, deterrence, a country where terrorists cannot record videos mocking the government.

The President warned terrorists not to mistake restraint for weakness. But the truth is difficult to ignore:
Restraint without results is weakness, Restraint without deterrence is failure, Restraint while citizens die is unacceptable.

A Nation Still Waiting for Real Leadership

This emergency declaration is not enough, It is not bold enough, It is not strategic enough, And it certainly did not come early enough.
At this stage Nigeria is now, we dont not need more statements, we needs intelligence-driven operations, accountability for compromised officials, a security doctrine that outthinks, outmaneuvers, and overwhelms terrorists not one that simply adds manpower without direction.

Until then, this declaration remains what many Nigerians see it as:
A hurried response crafted to calm public anger, not a transformative strategy to reclaim the nation from criminal rule.