Security consultant and analyst, Dr. Steve Okwori has criticised the handling of recent mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria, faulting police denial and weak security presence in remote communities, while warning that early gains recorded by security agencies must be sustained to avoid renewed escalation of violence.
Speaking in an interview ARISE News on Sunday, Dr. Okwori said insecurity across the northern region—ranging from terrorism and banditry to kidnappings for ransom—remains deeply troubling, even as security forces record tactical successes.
“The northern part of Nigeria is currently being faced with a lot of insecurity challenges—terrorism, banditry activities, kidnappings, abductions, ransom payments. We mostly see these criminal activities in the North, and it is something that is worrisome,” he said.
While acknowledging the concerns raised by groups calling for a national emergency on security, Okwori said recent operations show improved coordination among security agencies.
“It will not take away the fact that the Nigerian security architecture has recorded some commendable successes across multiple fronts,” he stated.
“You can see coordinated operations by the armed forces, the DSS and the police. This demonstrates growing synergy and intelligence sharing among security agencies.”
He attributed these gains to recent leadership changes within the defence and security sector.
“The military has intensified kinetic operations. We have new service chiefs, a new Minister of Defence, and you can see coordination within the defence and security space,” he said.
However, Okwori cautioned against complacency.
“What is key for me in all of these successes is sustainability. They must capitalise on the gains recorded so far. They should not become relaxed because they have recorded some successes,” he warned.
“We need strategic consolidation of these efforts.”
He noted that while some hostages have been rescued, many victims remain in captivity.
“Some hostages have been released or rescued, but many more are still in captivity. For instance, the people abducted from the Kurumi Wali community are still there. We have not heard anything about them,” he said.
Addressing the controversial abduction of 177 persons from a northern community, Okwori directly criticised the police response.
“I want to fault the police with regard to that incident. What the police did by initially denying that it happened was, for me, very unprofessional,” he said.
According to him, the denial created an opportunity for the kidnappers to escape unchallenged.
“That denial and the delay from the police gave the terrorists and bandits the opportunity to ferry their victims. If they had not denied it, people who saw them moving might have raised the alarm earlier,” he explained.
“There was no security agent to challenge them, and that is why they left unchallenged.”
Okwori said the incident exposed the absence of security presence in many rural communities.
“Most of these communities are remote and have no security presence. If you carry out a survey, you will discover that many of them have no police or military presence at all,” he said.
He commended President Bola Tinubu’s directive to establish armed forest guards, describing it as a step in the right direction.
“The idea of forest guards is commendable. They will be recruited from their immediate communities, trained, and armed. They will be first responders when criminals attack,” he said.
“Because these criminals were not confronted—no police, no military—they had fertile ground to operate.”
He described the manner of the kidnappings as particularly disturbing.
“They moved freely, from one community to another, even taking people from about three churches, in the early hours of the morning, not even at night,” he said.
Despite the grim security picture, Okwori pointed to recent intelligence-led arrests as evidence of improved capacity.
“That arrest you mentioned speaks well of intelligence gathering—being able to nip threats in the bud before they escalate,” he added.
He concluded by stressing that Nigerians must not live in fear and that government remains constitutionally obligated to guarantee security.
“Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution is clear—the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. Nigerians should not be moving from one place to another in fear or anxiety,” Okwori said.
Boluwatife Enome
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