A former Minister of Interior has raised alarm over the deteriorating security situation in northern Nigeria, revealing that bandits and insurgents have effectively taken control of some communities where they now impose taxes and create laws.
Security Crisis Reaches Critical Point
Retired Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, who also served as Chief of Army Staff, made the shocking disclosure during the First Media and Security Summit held in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State on Monday, November 10, 2025.
The summit, which carried the theme 'Existential Threats and National Security,' provided a platform for the security expert to highlight the gravity of the situation facing northern Nigeria.
"We have gotten to a situation where bandits and insurgents have taken some of our communities, taxing and making laws for them," Dambazau stated bluntly during his presentation.
Two Decades of Escalating Violence
The former minister contextualized the current crisis by noting that insecurity has plagued the northern region for over two decades. He provided specific examples of the violence that has become commonplace, including attacks on worshippers in mosques across Katsina, Borno, Zamfara, and Kano states.
Dambazau identified multiple security challenges confronting the region, including herders-farmers clashes, terrorism, and banditry that have collectively created a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions.
The human cost of this prolonged insecurity has been devastating. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced from their homes and communities. The former minister also highlighted the social consequences, noting that the number of widows and orphans has increased dramatically while farmers have lost their farms and herders have seen their cattle rustled without adequate response from state authorities.
Economic Solutions to Security Problems
Dambazau proposed concrete solutions to address the root causes of the security crisis, specifically urging northern state governors to focus on improving their revenue bases to combat poverty.
He revealed startling statistics about the economic impact of the insecurity, stating that over 70 percent of those suffering from poverty caused by insecurity are from the northern region.
The retired general also identified religious extremism as a major threat to security in northern Nigeria, noting that it has enabled groups like Boko Haram, Lakurawa terrorists, and various bandit factions to unleash violence on civilian populations.
The security summit occurred against the backdrop of recent bandit activities, including the abduction of five women, including nursing mothers, from Yan Kwada in Shanono local government area of Kano State. Residents reported that attackers came in large numbers, shooting sporadically and breaking into homes despite security forces claiming to have killed 19 bandits just a week earlier.
