Former presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has declared that the Federal Government has completely lost operational control over security in Northern Nigeria following devastating terrorist attacks in Kwara and Kebbi states.
Coordinated Attacks Signal National Collapse
In a stark statement delivered to journalists in Kaduna on Wednesday, Olawepo-Hashim pointed to recent assaults as evidence of Nigeria's rapid descent toward total collapse. The security situation has deteriorated so severely that terrorists now operate across northern states without any fear of state authority.
The political leader highlighted the particularly disturbing attack in Rogun Village, Kpada District of Patigi Local Government Area in Kwara State, where terrorists killed two security operatives. In a brazen Sunday night assault, armed militants stormed a police outpost in the same community, engaging officers in prolonged gunfire before overwhelming the facility.
Dangerous Expansion of Terrorist Activities
These incidents occurred just days after another devastating attack in Kebbi State, where 25 schoolgirls were abducted and their vice principal was murdered. The violence continued with the killing of a senior Customs officer in Bagudo Local Government Area, demonstrating the widespread nature of the security breakdown.
Olawepo-Hashim described the Patigi attack as especially alarming because the Middle Belt corridor had historically maintained relative stability. This new development marks a dangerous expansion of terrorist operations and underscores what he called a total failure of intelligence and policing capabilities.
Rural Communities Under Siege
The former presidential candidate painted a grim picture of northern Nigeria's current reality, stating that effective state authority now exists primarily within state capitals while vast rural territories have fallen under the control of armed groups.
"What we are witnessing is a quiet surrender of northern Nigeria to non-state actors," Olawepo-Hashim declared. "Rural communities are under siege. Schools are unsafe. Police posts are now battlefields. This is not governance; this is abandonment."
He emphasized that outside state capitals, sovereignty is collapsing as villages become governed by fear, bandits, and terrorists. Many villagers now pay taxes to terrorist groups rather than government authorities, indicating the complete breakdown of state control.
Advanced Terrorist Capabilities
Hashim referenced recent reports of a serving military general who was ambushed after terrorists allegedly intercepted his communications. This development proves that insurgents now possess advanced capability and extraordinary daring that challenges even military leadership.
"If terrorists can attack a police outpost in Kwara and kill officers without consequences, what hope is left for villagers? If 25 girls can be taken in Kebbi without immediate rescue, what remains of the meaning of government?" he asked rhetorically.
The security expert warned that from Niger to Zamfara, Kaduna to Plateau, Bauchi to Kebbi, and now Kwara, terrorists determine the rhythm of life in too many communities. He described the Federal Government's silence as complicity in the face of this escalating crisis.
Urgent National Response Required
While expressing condolences to families affected by the Kwara and Kebbi attacks, Olawepo-Hashim demanded an immediate national response including a radical overhaul of Nigeria's security architecture.
He issued a final warning that unless drastic steps are taken now, Nigeria risks tumbling into a new and uncontrollable phase of disintegration that could threaten the nation's very existence.
