By Ezinwanne Onwuka
(Abuja) In Nigeria’s Northeast, insurgents are reclaiming territory. In the Northwest, bandits tighten their grip on communities. In the Middle Belt, Fulani ethnic militia continue to terrorize Christian farming communities. You would think that Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru would implore President Bola Tinubu and the Senate to fund a rapid recruitment effort to double the size of the undermanned army – and you would be wrong. Instead, Badaru turned to the heavens: “We are doing a lot to curtail them… and normalcy will return by the special grace of God and your prayers.”
The sentiment is already reverberating beyond government press briefings.
In addition to stepping up counter-terrorism operations, the country’s top military commanders are reaching for Bibles and Qur’ans.
Naval Chief Pushes for Spiritual Backup
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, recently declared that Nigeria needs “spiritual solutions” to defeat terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry.
“We recognize the challenges that we are facing these days,” Ogalla said. “While we look for military solutions, we also believe that spiritual solutions are part of what we need to surmount the challenges.”
His comment has drawn both attention and alarm, coming at a time when thousands of Nigerians are burying their loved ones, abandoning their homes for fear of attacks, or paying ransoms just to stay alive.
ISWAP Strikes Harder as Military Hopes for Miracle
While the Naval Chief seeks divine intervention, Nigeria’s enemies are doubling down on firepower.
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, has intensified its attacks in Borno State, the heartland of Nigeria’s insurgency.
In the remote town of Malam-Fatori, in northeastern Borno, at least 20 soldiers were killed when insurgents launched an assault on an army base. In March, a roadside bomb planted by the group killed four civilians in Biu.
In April, ISWAP fighters stormed a military barracks in Yamtake, killing three soldiers. Then in May, the group overran Marte, a garrison town near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon and Chad, capturing several soldiers and forcing others to retreat.
ISWAP’s operations are growing more advanced. The group now deploys grenade-armed drones. In Wajikoro, a military base was struck with drones armed with grenades before ground fighters moved in.
Nigeria’s Security Strategy Now Includes Prayers
It is not just the Navy. Nigeria’s entire security establishment seems to be invoking the Almighty for Divine intervention.
Defense Minister, Mohammed Badaru has publicly acknowledged that insurgents are regaining momentum.
He admitted that Boko Haram and ISWAP are not only threatening Nigeria’s northeast but that it is a regional threat across the Sahel from Niger to Mali and Burkina Faso.
On 19 May, Borno—the same state under relentless siege—held a mass prayer and fasting session led by Governor Babagana Zulum. Thousands across Nigeria reportedly joined in, praying for peace in the troubled northeast and beyond.
Nigeria’s Costly Battle Against Insecurity
Nigeria has spent billions of dollars in recent years trying to upgrade its defense forces by acquiring helicopters, drones, surveillance equipment, and fighter jets.
In March, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) took delivery of four second hand Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet from France. Last year, the government approved a $618 million loan to purchase six M-346 fighter jets from Italy, including ammunition. Nigeria has also placed orders for 24 M-346 fighter ground attack jets and an additional 10 AW-109 Trekker helicopters.
Despite these investments in modern warfare, attacks by insurgents, bandits, and Fulani militias have continued across the country. And as the violence drags on, the military’s strategy appears to be shifting towards spiritual remedies.
Military Prays, Citizens Panic
The military leaders’ turn toward prayer has stirred fears that the Nigerian armed forces might be overwhelmed by the threats and are running out of options.
Timothy Edem, the presiding pastor of Champions Assembly Church in Abuja, voiced this concern bluntly: “When a nation’s top defense officials begin to preach rather than plan, it raises a disturbing question: who is really in charge of protecting the country?”
Emeka Umeagbalasi, board chairman of International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), a Catholic-inspired group, also criticized the approach in a WhatsApp chat with TruthNigeria: “The Nigerian armed forces are just beating around the bush. They don’t want to face the situation on the ground. They have the budget, and they have the manpower, so this resort to ‘spiritual solutions’ is a way of evading responsibility and accountability — and it doesn’t speak well of them.”
Ezinwanne Onwuka reports on politics and conflict for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
