The brutal kidnapping and murder of retired General Rabe has sent shockwaves across Nigeria, but for many ordinary citizens, it’s just another grim reminder of their helplessness. President Bola Tinubu’s government has failed to protect its people, and the commander-in-chief shows neither anger nor remorse. Instead of addressing the root of the crisis, he withdraws police details from politicians while Minister Nyesom Wike still glides through Abuja in a Rolls Royce, surrounded by a battalion of officers. The message is clear: the elite are safe, but the average Nigerian is prey.
For over sixteen years, since these insurgencies began, successive governments have recycled the same tired excuses: Libya, global phenomena, we are winning, or blame the opposition. But Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco are closer to Libya, and they aren’t infested with bandits and jihadists. The truth is that Nigeria’s state is weak and porous. The law that once wisely prohibited citizens from keeping rifles has become obsolete. Every thug now has easy access to military-grade weapons, while law-abiding citizens are left defenseless. If General Rabe had possessed a rifle, he might have died a more dignified death. Instead, he was taken like a chicken and slaughtered by rag-tag bandits.
The story of Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a special adviser to Tinubu and seconded to Vice President Kashim Shettima, illustrates the total hopelessness. Last year, his nephew and two companions were kidnapped by bandits. The entire Presidency was involved, promises were made, but days and weeks passed with no action. The family had to raise a ransom of 175 million naira, brand new motorcycles, and hard drugs. The captives spent 36 days in the forest. The government knew the location of the bandits, yet they got away with murder, kidnapping, and ransom. If those four men had owned rifles, the bandits would likely never have approached them.
Tinubu’s proposed solution—state policing—is a band-aid on a gaping wound. Without first reforming, reorienting, and re-equipping the federal police, state police units will only replicate the same failures. The current federal police has no culture to bequeath, and if state police are funded and trained as wretchedly, they won’t even fight petty crime, let alone banditry.
The president must adopt a three-pronged strategy. First, on the political front, set aside partisan delusions and pursue genuine national unity. Travel to affected regions, listen to grievances, and lead negotiations with bandits instead of allowing humiliating peace deals. Empower citizens by changing the law to allow vetted, law-abiding individuals and communities to own rifles for self-defense. A people who believe the state is both weak and indifferent will not mobilize for a government that offers only helplessness.
Second, on the military front, re-equip the armed forces with modern technology like drones for surveillance and targeted elimination of bandit camps. Reconsider the quality of mercenaries and special operators—keep Asari Dokubo and Sunday Igboho if you must, but we need professionals capable of hostage rescue and precise tracking. Every bandit who collects ransom must suffer the fate of a rat that has consumed poisoned communion.
Third, choke the criminal economy. Once citizens are legally empowered to defend themselves and the state has improved its rescue capacity, outlaw ransom payments—starting with government officials. The endless flow of money from private and public purses sustains and expands the kidnapping industry. It will be painful, and some victims may be killed when ransoms are refused. But the alternative—a permanent ransom economy that funds terror—is already destroying the country.
Every new measure carries risks. A carefully regulated liberalization of rifle ownership could lead to isolated abuses or mass shootings by deranged individuals. Hiring better foreign expertise has complications. Refusing ransoms may provoke retaliatory killings. But the present situation is already intolerable. The horses have bolted. Criminals already possess military-grade weapons. The law that was meant to protect law-abiding people now only handcuffs them while leaving the wicked free.
Mr. President, the time for half-measures and recycled excuses has passed. Vet responsible citizens and communities. Allow them to buy and own rifles for their defense. That is where meaningful change must begin.
