Former Nigerian Minister of Interior, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (rtd), has warned that terrorists and bandits in Northern Nigeria have escalated their control to the point of enforcing taxes and making laws in the communities they dominate. Speaking at the First Media and Security Summit held in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Dambazau highlighted the grave security challenges afflicting northern Nigeria, describing how insecurity has worsened significantly over the past two decades.
Dambazau said, “People were killed in Katsina, Borno, Zamfara and Kano mosques. The North has suffered from herders/farmers clashes, terrorism, and banditry.” He added critically, “We have gotten to a situation where bandits and insurgents have taken some of our communities, taxing and making laws for them.” This alarming assertion reflects the depths of lawlessness, as these groups exercise quasi-governmental powers over local populations.
According to Dambazau, the human toll has been devastating: “Thousands have been killed and millions displaced. The number of widows and orphans has increased, and farmers have lost farms and herders’ cattle rustled without action from state actors.” This points to a significant failure of government authority and protection in these affected areas, exacerbating poverty and insecurity.
To combat these threats, Dambazau called on northern governors to establish Ministries of Mineral Resources within their states. This move, he argued, would enable them to collaborate with federal agencies to harness natural resources, expand revenue bases, reduce poverty, and tackle insecurity rooted in deprivation and socio-economic neglect. “Revival of agriculture, restoring respect for traditional institutions, addressing the massive number of out-of-school children, and promoting social inclusion” were among other measures he urged to counter the insurgency and banditry.
Dambazau’s remarks underscore the pressing need for integrated approaches involving economic development and governance reforms to restore peace and security. The persistence of terrorists imposing taxes and governing communities reveals a profound challenge to the Nigerian state’s sovereignty and capacity to protect its citizens.
