The time has come for Nigeria to confront a hard truth: we cannot bomb our way to lasting peace. For over a decade, we have fought Boko Haram and ISWAP with sheer military might, spending billions, sacrificing thousands, and yet, the Northeast remains a volatile theatre of human suffering and insecurity. The recent attack on the 153 Task Force Battalion in Marte on May 12, 2025, only confirms what many already fear — that the insurgency is far from over.
Between January and April of this year alone, at least 227 Nigerians have been killed by insurgents across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. The victims include civilians, military personnel, and senior security officers. These are not just numbers — they are fathers, mothers, children, and defenders of the state whose lives were cut short by an enemy that has learned to evolve while we continue to apply the same failed tactics.
The so-called “amnesty and reintegration” program, which allows self-proclaimed repentant fighters to reintegrate into society with minimal vetting, has only further eroded public trust. Communities who have suffered unimaginable losses now watch, helpless, as former killers return — some of whom have gone on to rejoin the fight. We cannot continue like this.
We must pivot. Not away from military involvement — that remains crucial — but towards a comprehensive, long-term peace-building framework that addresses the underlying drivers of radicalization: poverty, hopelessness, illiteracy, and the vacuum of leadership in our most vulnerable communities.
This means investing in grassroots intelligence networks to detect early signs of threats. It means designing deradicalization programs that are community-driven, transparent, and culturally sensitive. It means empowering the youth through targeted education and employment initiatives that offer an alternative to violence. It also means addressing mental health — both for the victims of terror and the ex-combatants haunted by war. If we fail to heal the trauma, we risk recycling it.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has not minced words about the state of things. His calls for a new direction reflect the frustration of many who live daily under the shadow of terror. And he is not alone. The United Nations reports that over 2.2 million people remain internally displaced in the Northeast, and at least 8.4 million are in need of urgent humanitarian aid. These are people, not statistics. Every day that passes without a strategic shift is another day lost to needless suffering.
Let us be clear: terrorism cannot be killed by bullets alone. You may kill a fighter, but if the system that created him remains intact, another will rise in his place. That is the story of the Northeast. That is why we are still here, twelve years after we declared victory the first time.
It is not weakness to talk peace. It is not surrender to seek dialogue where necessary. True strength lies in the courage to do what works, not just what sounds tough on paper.
If Nigeria is to survive this war — and emerge stronger from it — we must think beyond the battlefield. We must act with clarity, compassion, and common sense. And above all, we must remember that peace, when rightly pursued, is the most powerful form of security.
