ABUJA — Nigeria is currently gripped by a dual crisis of failing security management and deep-seated religious bias within the corridors of power. While the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) touts precision airstrikes in the North East, a wave of bitter resentment is sweeping through Sokoto, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Taraba. From the blood-soaked villages of the Northwest to the burning hills of the Middle Belt, the outcry is the same: “Where were the airstrikes when we were being slaughtered?”
The Abuja Chessboard: “Fight Them, Scatter Them”
The political firestorm ignited this week following a viral video involving Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu. In the footage, Gbajabiamila is seen advising Hon. Leke Abejide, a key figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to remain in his party despite internal crises.
“My charge to you is to stay in that same ADC. Fight them. Scatter them! Hold on to your party,” the official was caught saying. This tactical directive is being viewed by critics as a “divide and conquer” strategy—encouraging internal friction within the opposition to ensure no unified front can challenge the status quo in 2027.
Adding to the tension, activist Asari Dokubo has publicly vowed to be at the forefront of a campaign to crush the future political ambitions of Rabiu Kwankwaso, leader of the NNPP. Dokubo’s promise to “disappoint” Kwankwaso, whom he accused of “selling Muslims for kobo kobo,” has further fueled allegations that administration allies are exploiting religious sentiments to dismantle regional power blocs.
Sokoto’s Nightmare: The Gorau Massacre
While the political elite focus on “scattering” parties, bandits are dismantling communities. On the night of April 20, 2026, the village of Gorau in Sokoto State—the ancestral home of lawmaker Bashir Usman Gorau—was hit by a coordinated, violent raid.
Armed groups stormed the community, killing residents and abducting others into the forest. This attack follows a relentless pattern of failure in Sokoto, including recent abductions in the Chacho community and the Sabon Birni axis, where security presence remains dangerously thin.
Plateau Erupts: Checkpoints in Flames Over Alleged Bias
The frustration over these security lapses reached a breaking point in Plateau State on Monday. In the Kassa community of Barkin Ladi LGA, angry youths and women attacked a military checkpoint and set it ablaze.
The violence followed the burial of Gyang Nuhu Choji, a resident reportedly killed by gunmen just meters from a security post. Protesters alleged that the presence of troops has failed to translate into protection due to a perceived bias. “The soldiers are here, yet we are still dying,” said one mother during the demonstration. Similar unrest saw women in the Gashish community dismantle another checkpoint, citing total frustration with the perceived ineffectiveness and alleged collaboration of security forces.
The “Abandoned” States: A Tale of Two Realities
The NAF announced on Tuesday that air assets under Operation HADIN KAI had successfully neutralised scores of terrorists in the Yuwe axis of Sambisa Forest. But for families in the North Central and Northwest, these official victory statements are met with derision.
“When they want to show off, they go to Sambisa,” said a community leader from Niger State. “But when bandits are marching our women into the forests of Shiroro or Rafi, the jets are silent.” The people of Benue, Kaduna, and Taraba are asking why the “precision” seen in the East is nowhere to be found when bandits raze villages across their states.
A Growing National Divide
The synthesis of these events paints a troubling picture of a government deeply distracted by power and sectional interests. The energy, coordination, and resources being deployed in Abuja to manage the internal dynamics of the ADC and the NNPP appear to far outweigh the efforts to secure the forests of the Northwest or the hills of the Plateau.
As the road to 2027 gets busier, the question for millions of Nigerians is whether their safety will continue to be sacrificed to the strategic “scattering” of the opposition and the religious posturing of the political class.
