Media practitioner and public affairs analyst, Mojeed Dahiru, has called on the Federal Government to adopt a tougher approach against extremist ideology, warning that military operations alone cannot defeat Nigeria’s persistent insecurity.
Speaking on Tuesday at the First Daily 6th Anniversary Annual Public Lecture in Abuja, Dahiru argued that violent extremism remains one of the country’s greatest security threats and urged authorities to confront its ideological foundations alongside ongoing military campaigns.
According to him, while security agencies have continued to battle insurgents and bandits across different parts of the country, the underlying beliefs that fuel violent groups have not been adequately addressed.
“The biggest threat Nigeria faces today since the Civil War is insurgency,” Dahiru said.
“If the government is not strong enough to address some of the ideological building blocks that have boiled over into this insurgency, no matter the military deployment you have, it will consume it. It will not work.”
Dahiru described Boko Haram as “a violent manifestation of Islamism,” arguing that the ideology behind the group extends beyond the insurgents themselves. He stressed that he was expressing his views as a Muslim and not condemning the religion.
“I am saying this from the point of view as a Muslim,” he said. “Boko Haram is simply a violent manifestation of Islamism.”
He maintained that defeating insurgency requires confronting extremist interpretations that encourage violence, rather than relying solely on security operations.
The analyst also said Nigeria’s security crisis should not be viewed only through the lens of crime and criminality, insisting that poverty and other structural challenges have worsened the situation.
“We need to interrogate the causative factors and for government to be able to address those issues fundamentally. There seems to be a lack of political will to do so,” he said.
Dahiru cited available data indicating that more than 100,000 people had been killed over roughly 16 years of conflict, describing the annual death toll as comparable to wartime casualties.
“That is literally wartime numbers, and it’s totally unacceptable,” he said, adding that the country should respond with greater urgency.
He further called for a national consensus on confronting insecurity, urging Nigerians to uphold constitutional rights while resisting extremist ideologies.
According to him, the Constitution guarantees religious freedom for all citizens, including Muslims, and efforts to tackle violent extremism should not be confused with hostility towards any religion.
Nigeria has battled the Boko Haram insurgency for more than a decade while also contending with banditry, kidnapping and other forms of violent crime.
Security experts have continued to debate whether lasting peace requires not only military action but also stronger measures to address ideological radicalisation, governance challenges and socio-economic conditions that contribute to insecurity.