Nigerian Security Chief Urges Citizens to Fight Back Against Terrorists…Locals Protests Rising Insecurity…Threats of Retaliation Emerge After Killing of Northerners…70,000 Liters of Stolen Crude Oil Recovered in Nigeria
- Nigeria’s Security Chief Advocates Community-Led Defense Against Terrorists
Nigeria’s top intelligence official has urged citizens to take greater responsibility for their security, warning that military, police, and intelligence agencies cannot protect every community from terrorist attacks.
Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), cited past cases where local communities in Bauchi State successfully repelled Boko Haram militants without waiting for security forces. He referenced Azare and Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi State, where residents fought back against insurgents, seized their weapons, and prevented further attacks.
Ajayi emphasized that Nigeria’s security forces lack the resources to be everywhere, making community defense essential. He called on local leaders to promote self-defense initiatives.
“Communities must take responsibility for defending themselves at the local level,” Ajayi said. “The community should make it clear: ‘You cannot come here’.” His remarks come amid ongoing security challenges in Nigeria, where terrorist attacks and armed violence remain major threats.
- Nigerian Town Demands Action as Kidnappings, Killings Rise
Residents of Otukpo, a town in central Nigeria, staged a massive protest Tuesday over increasing kidnappings and killings. Blocking major roads, they chanted, “We no go gree! We no go gree!”—a local phrase meaning “We won’t accept this!”
“Otukpo is no longer safe,” a protester told Vanguard. “We cannot sleep with our two eyes closed. Our communities are under constant attack by armed men, yet no arrests are made. People are fleeing their homes out of fear.”
Another demonstrator echoed the frustration. “Since the beginning of this year, robbery, kidnapping, and killings have increased in Otukpo. The government is not doing anything to stop it,” he told The Punch.
The protest caused significant traffic disruptions before local officials cleared the roads. The protests reflect growing frustration among residents, who accuse the authorities of failing to address the security crisis that has left many fearing for their lives.
- Man Threatens Payback Over Lynching of Northerners in Southern Nigeria
A man from northern Nigeria has given President Bola Tinubu and Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo 48 hours to arrest those responsible for the killing of 16 Northerners in Uromi, Edo State.
The victims, reportedly hunters from northern Nigeria, were allegedly mistaken for radical Islamic terrorists and killed by a mob in the southern state.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, the unidentified man warned of retaliatory attacks on Southerners in the North if the perpetrators are not arrested. Addressing Tinubu and Okpebholo, he said, “You have many of your people in the North… If no action is taken, we will do the same to them.”
He insisted that Southern leaders would bear responsibility for any reprisals. “We won’t be patient,” he warned, demanding swift arrests. Authorities have already taken 14 suspects into custody in connection with the killings.
As of Wednesday morning, neither the Nigerian government nor security agencies had responded to the threat.
- Nigerian Authorities Seize 70,000 Liters of Stolen Crude Oil in Crackdown on Oil Theft
Nigerian security operatives have impounded a truck carrying 70,000 liters of stolen crude oil in Port Harcourt, a city in southern Nigeria.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), a law enforcement agency similar to the U.S. Coast Guard in protecting national assets, intercepted the truck in Rivers State following an intelligence tip-off. The vehicle, equipped with an in-built tank for smuggling petroleum, was abandoned by its occupants, who fled upon sighting security operatives.
NSCDC spokesperson Afolabi Babawale described the seizure as a “major breakthrough” in efforts to dismantle oil theft networks. The stolen crude and truck will be legally forfeited.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s top oil producers, continues to struggle with large-scale crude theft, which costs the government billions in lost revenue annually. Authorities have intensified crackdowns on illicit oil operations.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
