https://youtu.be/9aeJ20kcNvs?si=vAra0cw0RdMqiDRw
Majalisah returns with another hard-hitting political conversation examining Nigeria’s deepening security crisis and the growing distrust between citizens and the state. Hosted by Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum, this episode features Honourable Abubakar Chika Adamu—former Member of the House of Representatives, former Niger State Commissioner, and former lecturer at Kaduna Polytechnic—offering one of his most uncompromising assessments yet of insecurity, governance, and political accountability in Nigeria.
As a regular guest on Majalisah, Hon. Chika Adamu brings lived political experience from Niger State, one of the regions most affected by banditry, mass kidnappings, and rural insecurity. The discussion opens with the disturbing pattern of school kidnappings in Niger and Kebbi States—initial denials by authorities, followed by dramatic “rescues” and public receptions of released children. Hon. Chika challenges the official narrative, arguing that these events raise serious questions about state complicity, intelligence failures, and political stage-management.
A central theme of this conversation is the allegation that insecurity has become politicised. Hon. Chika advances the controversial view that banditry and kidnapping are no longer merely criminal enterprises but part of a broader political economy sustained by corruption, selective enforcement, and economic interests. He questions why perpetrators are rarely apprehended, why peace accords are negotiated between communities and armed groups, and why those responsible often return freely to their enclaves.
The episode also explores Nigeria’s international image and the renewed scrutiny from the United States following congressional visits and reports highlighting the scale of kidnappings and attacks, particularly in the North-West and North-East. Hon. Chika suggests that the Nigerian government is attempting to project control to external partners while failing to dismantle the structures enabling violence at home. The conversation critically assesses claims of improved security performance and whether these claims withstand independent verification.
Another major focus is the resurgence of Boko Haram and allied extremist violence in Borno and Yobe States. The discussion situates this resurgence within wider debates about religious targeting, humanitarian impact, and the narratives shaping international responses. Hon. Chika argues that while both Muslims and Christians are victims, advocacy and reporting patterns influence which voices reach global power centres—and how intervention is framed.
Beyond ideology, the conversation turns to economics. Drawing on examples from Niger, Zamfara, Katsina, and Benue States, Hon. Chika highlights the overlap between violent insecurity and illegal and semi-legal mining activities. He raises troubling questions: why can miners operate freely in areas where farmers are displaced? Who protects these operations? And what does this reveal about ungoverned spaces and elite collusion? These observations reinforce the argument that insecurity in Nigeria is not random chaos, but a system with beneficiaries.
The discussion broadens to governance and state authority. Hon. Chika paints a stark picture of rural Nigeria where armed groups act as de facto rulers—controlling markets, enforcing discipline, collecting rents, and determining daily life. He questions the feasibility of credible elections under such conditions and argues that peace accords with bandits amount to a surrender of sovereignty. In this context, the idea of Nigeria having a single commander-in-chief is critically interrogated.
On foreign policy, the episode examines Nigeria’s regional military engagements and diplomatic alignments, including developments in neighbouring Benin Republic and broader West African instability. Hon. Chika warns of spillover effects into Nigeria’s South-West and raises concerns about external powers, including France, leveraging Nigeria’s internal weaknesses for strategic and economic influence.
In closing, Hon. Chika delivers a bleak verdict on the current administration, accusing it of prioritising 2027 electoral calculations over citizen security, in violation of constitutional responsibilities. Rejecting conventional policy advice, he calls instead for moral reckoning, civic awareness, and what he describes as “special intervention” driven by international pressure and internal accountability.
This Majalisa episode is not a consensus-seeking dialogue—it is a confrontational, reflective, and deeply political examination of Nigeria’s security crisis, designed to provoke debate and challenge comfortable assumptions about governance, power, and responsibility.
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