Hostages Get Rescued, but Kidnappers Escape Arrests
By Onibiyo Segun
(Abuja) – Families across Nigeria’s Middle Belt are still mourning killings, kidnappings and abandoned farms, testing whether the Trump-Tinubu security partnership is delivering safety beyond official announcements.
In Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Kwara states, communities affected by terrorist attacks say the success of any security cooperation will be measured by fewer deaths, safer roads and the ability of farmers to return to their fields.
The Trump administration and the Tinubu government have promoted deeper security cooperation through intelligence sharing, counterterrorism coordination and military engagement. But persistent attacks continue to raise questions about whether progress in government-to-government relations is translating into protection for civilians.
The Council on Foreign Relations recently examined whether the Trump-Tinubu collaboration is working. TruthNigeria examines the question from communities still experiencing violence.
Security Partnership Delivers Some Gains
The United States and Nigeria have expanded cooperation through intelligence-driven operations and security coordination aimed at weakening terrorist groups, kidnapping networks and extremist organisations.
Nigeria has presented the partnership as a major step toward improving its counterterrorism response.
The two countries have highlighted joint security efforts, including operations targeting ISIS-linked militants in northeastern Nigeria.
International human rights advocate Emmanuel Ogebe tells TruthNigeria he has given the partnership some plaudits. “I commend Nigeria’s Joint Working Group for working with me to facilitate the pardon of death-row Christian farmer Sunday Jackson by Adamawa Governor Fintiri, which was a significant recorded success,” Ogebe told TruthNigeria.
“It was a state case, but the Federal Government of Nigeria lent its support to our advocacy after the U.S. weighed in and stopped his odious hanging death sentence simply for defending himself against a Muslim attacker,” Ogebe said.
Ogebe also cited progress: “I also appreciate their role in securing the release of eight of the 16 Du Merci Christian orphans illegally detained by Kano State. However, eight kids remain captives still after another botched handover,” Ogebe told TruthNigeria.
Security Gains Face Ground Reality
Despite these developments, spokesment for communities affected by violence say the biggest test remains whether security operations can dismantle the networks behind attacks.
TruthNigeria reporting from Kwara and neighbouring states has shown that kidnapping networks remain active despite increased military deployments.
In Woro community, Kwara State, the rescue of 176 abducted victims brought relief but also raised questions over whether security forces had dismantled the terrorist commanders, financiers and logistics networks responsible for the kidnappings.
Residents questioned why major arrests did not immediately follow the rescue operation? Security analysts warn that rescuing victims does not dismantle terrorist networks, which survive through intelligence links, local support, weapons-supply chains and ransom financing.
Scott Morgan, an Independent Security Consultant based in Washington D.C., said, “After reading the report, one will get the impression that the Tinubu reelection campaign is using an old political tactic. That is, using military success against the bandits and jihadists to build enough goodwill so that the electorate will keep him in office,” Morgan told TruthNigeria.
“It is interesting that some stats are buried in the story, such as 27 people being killed on a daily basis, and that despite the glorious press releases announcing the release of kidnapping victims and the deaths of terrorists,” Morgan went on to say.
Morgan warned: “If the numbers of both hostage rescues and killing of terrorists are inflated, then the Nigerian Security Apparatus will be making the same mistake that the U.S. Military made in Vietnam.”
“The partnership’s success should be measured by whether terrorist networks are dismantled and civilians become safer,” Morgan said.
CPC Debate Tests Washington’s Confidence
U.S. Congressman Riley Moore (Republican from WVA) renewed calls for Nigeria to retain its CPC designation after a deadly Plateau State attack that killed at least 24 people, arguing that continued violence showed unresolved protection concerns.
“This is exactly why the State Department cannot lift Nigeria’s CPC designation,” Moore said after the attack.
Moore said that while there may be progress in parts of northern Nigeria, “nothing has changed in the Middle Belt where most attacks against Christians occur.”
Nigeria was first designated a Country of Particular Concern in 2020 under the Trump administration before the Biden administration removed the designation in 2021. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a CPC on October 31, 2025.
The disagreement reflects competing views over how progress should be measured.
Nigerian officials argue that increased cooperation, reforms and military operations demonstrate commitment to tackling terrorism. Critics argue that continued attacks show that vulnerable communities remain exposed.
The Ground Test
The Trump-Tinubu security partnership has created stronger cooperation between Washington and Abuja and produced practical gains.
But for Nigerians living under the threat of terrorists and kidnappers, success will not be measured by diplomatic meetings, military briefings or international partnerships.
It will be measured by whether families return home, farmers reclaim abandoned land and communities regain confidence to live, work and travel safely.
Onibiyo Segun reports on conflict and terrorism for TruthNigeria.
