This Is Not INSECURITY. It’s a CONQUEST.
Nigeria is currently undergoing a systematic territorial takeover by armed groups while the nation remains largely unaware or in denial. This is not random criminality. It is not isolated insecurity. It is a coordinated expansion of hostile forces exercising real control over Nigerian territory.
In the North-West, bandit networks are displacing entire communities, imposing illegal taxation, controlling farmland, and forcing civilians to either flee or submit. In the North-East, jihadist factions including ISWAP are consolidating safe operating zones, enforcing parallel governance under the pretext of "Sulhu" or peace talks, and building logistical routes deeper into the country.
Both groups are advancing SOUTHWARD.
Their operations are no longer confined to the peripheries.
They are now penetrating Niger, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, and reaching the borders of the Federal Capital Territory.
This is a strategic progression:
Control the rural zones → dominate transportation corridors → threaten cities → challenge the state.
The indicators are clear:
1. Loss of state monopoly on violence in multiple LGAs.
2. Parallel administrations emerging in forest regions.
3. Mass abductions targeting schools and community leaders to cripple social confidence.
4. Strategic raids near Abuja show intent to undermine national authority.
5. Southward infiltration toward economic population centers.
This is what territorial conquest looks like in the 21st century:
Not declarations of war, but the state slowly losing ground to non-state actors who act like governments.
Civil authority retreats.
Armed actors remain.
Communities adapt for survival.
Cc: Deji teye
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