By Richard Odusanya
The frightening dimension of Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is no longer merely about criminals hiding in forests. Increasingly, disturbing allegations, repeated security breaches and growing public suspicion are forcing society to confront a far deeper fear: the possibility that criminality may be finding accommodation within social, political and administrative structures themselves.
The recent allegations surrounding Nuru Aliyu Garwa, a former Senior Special Adviser on Community Development in Katsina State, have therefore triggered national unease far beyond the criminal case itself. According to reports, investigations into the abduction of an eight-year-old child allegedly led security operatives to individuals connected to organized kidnapping activities, eventually resulting in the arrest of the former government aide alongside the reported recovery of suspected ransom proceeds.
If proven true, the implications are deeply troubling. It would suggest that insecurity in Nigeria is no longer simply an external threat from faceless men in distant forests, but a crisis capable of penetrating circles of influence, governance and community leadership.
This is precisely why persistent public allegations and suspicions surrounding criminal activities across vulnerable corridors in states like Kwara can no longer be dismissed casually with routine official denials alone. Citizens are increasingly asking uncomfortable but legitimate questions:-
Who truly controls activities inside vast forest territories? Are illegal mining networks, ransom economies and armed criminal groups operating with local collaborators? Why do criminal networks appear operationally confident across some border and forest communities? And are influential interests benefitting indirectly from prolonged insecurity and weak enforcement?
These are difficult questions, but democratic societies cannot permanently suppress difficult questions simply because they are uncomfortable politically.
At the same time, caution remains necessary. Public suspicion is not the same as legal proof. Criticism must remain evidence-driven, responsible and focused on accountability rather than reckless blanket accusations against entire governments, ethnic groups or communities.
Yet governments must also understand a painful reality: where insecurity persists repeatedly without visible transparency, trust begins to erode naturally. Silence, defensiveness and political partisanship only deepen public suspicion.
What Nigerians increasingly seek is not propaganda, but visible accountability:
– Stronger intelligence systems, transparent investigation, institutional cleansing, coordinated forest governance , and the political courage to confront criminality even when it hides behind influence, office or powerful networks.
Because perhaps the gravest danger before Nigeria today is not merely armed men in the forests, but the gradual collapse of public confidence in who is truly protecting society and who may secretly be profiting from its fears.
Written by Richard ODUSANYA
