‘Operation Kosaye’, a coordinated security initiative driven by the NSA and IGP, is commendable, writes
Nigeria’s security crisis has evolved into one of the gravest challenges confronting the nation since after the civil war ended in 1970. What began two decades ago as an extremist religious uprising in Borno State under the dreaded Boko Haram sect has, over the years, metastasized into a frightening web of insecurity. Today, the country contends with insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and a growing network of violent criminal groups operating across virtually every geopolitical zone.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this evolution is that regions once regarded as relatively peaceful are no longer immune. The Southwest, long considered one of Nigeria’s safest regions, has increasingly come under siege. Kidnappings along major highways, attacks on farming communities and criminal incursions into forest reserves have become recurring nightmares. States like Kwara and Oyo have witnessed disturbing security breaches, while neighbouring Kogi, Benue and Taraba continue to battle relentless attacks by armed criminal gangs.
Against this gloomy backdrop, last week’s dramatic rescue of five kidnapped victims at the Ogbere axis of the Sagamu-Benin Expressway offers some hope to Nigerians.
