Former presidential candidate Gbenga Hashim has accused the Nigerian government and elements within the security establishment of tacit complicity in the country’s deepening security crisis, cautioning that terrorism and mass abductions cannot be effectively addressed in an environment defined by denial, information suppression, and intimidation of affected communities.
Hashim made the assertion while responding to the abduction of more than 170 people in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State an incident initially dismissed by security authorities before later being acknowledged. He argued that the episode underscores a recurring flaw in Nigeria’s security governance: the prioritisation of narrative control over decisive operational response.
According to Hashim, persistent denial by authorities undermines counterterrorism efforts, noting that international interventions will yield limited results if local institutions remain compromised. He described the initial response to the Kajuru incident as a deliberate effort to downplay a serious crime, reflecting what he characterised as a system that increasingly treats transparency as a risk rather than a strategic necessity.
He also expressed concern over allegations that victim communities are routinely pressured into silence, rather than being safeguarded and supported, thereby eroding public trust and weakening intelligence flows critical to security operations.
Hashim linked these developments to intensified global attention on Nigeria’s security challenges following recent United States airstrikes on terrorist targets in northern Nigeria. He claimed that subsequent attacks during this period were allegedly concealed by officials, citing reports from Kebbi State where at least nine people were reportedly killed shortly after the U.S. operation.
He further criticised the federal government’s handling of the U.S. strikes, accusing the APC-led administration of failing to capitalise on the operation to dismantle terrorist networks. Despite official claims of prior knowledge of the strikes, Hashim noted that there was no corresponding deployment of ground forces to apprehend insurgents fleeing the targeted areas.
According to him, the failure to intercept retreating fighters who reportedly crossed into neighbouring Niger Republic represented a significant strategic lapse and raised serious questions about intent within Nigeria’s security architecture.
Hashim concluded that Nigeria’s insecurity has evolved beyond challenges of capacity, funding, or intelligence, asserting that the core issues now revolve around intent, transparency, and accountability. He warned that without confronting official denial, information suppression, and alleged institutional complicity, the country’s security crisis will persist irrespective of foreign assistance or military intervention.
