Since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, the country has battled different forms of insecurity, ranging from militancy in the Niger Delta to Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts, separatist agitations, and other violent criminal activities. Yet, despite huge investments in security and countless military operations, the nation continues to face persistent threats to peace, stability, and national development.

More than two decades after the restoration of democracy, Nigerians are asking a fundamental question: Why does insecurity continue to flourish despite repeated government interventions?

The answer may not lie solely in military shortcomings. Rather, it may be found in the country’s inconsistent approach to justice, accountability, and national security.

The insurgency challenge did not begin overnight. In the early years of the Fourth Republic, the Niger Delta witnessed militant activities arising from grievances over environmental degradation, poverty, and resource control. While the Federal Government eventually adopted an amnesty programme in 2009, the emergence of Boko Haram in the North-East introduced a more dangerous dimension to Nigeria’s security crisis.

What started as a local extremist movement evolved into one of Africa’s deadliest terrorist organizations. Thousands of Nigerians were killed. Entire communities were wiped out. Schools were destroyed. Millions were displaced from their homes. The abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok and other communities became international symbols of Nigeria’s security failures.

Successive administrations have deployed military force against insurgents, but there has also been a recurring policy of negotiation, rehabilitation, deradicalization, amnesty, and reintegration of former fighters. Governments have often argued that such programmes encourage defections and weaken terrorist organizations from within.

However, many Nigerians have expressed concern that these policies appear to reward individuals who once took up arms against the state while victims and affected communities continue to struggle without adequate compensation, justice, or closure.

This concern became particularly pronounced during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. While military offensives recorded certain gains against insurgent groups, many Nigerians questioned the wisdom of rehabilitation programmes that allowed some former insurgents to be reintegrated into society. Critics argued that such measures sent the wrong signal that individuals who committed acts of terror could eventually return to civilian life with little consequence.

Today, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, similar debates continue. The country remains confronted by terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and violent attacks in various regions. While the government has intensified military operations and pledged to strengthen national security, concerns remain over whether Nigeria’s broader security strategy sufficiently prioritizes accountability and deterrence.

History offers important lessons. Nations that successfully defeated insurgencies combined military action with justice, intelligence gathering, economic development, and strong institutions. They ensured that perpetrators of violence faced consequences while simultaneously addressing the social and economic factors that fuel extremism.

No nation can achieve lasting peace if criminality appears more rewarding than lawful conduct. When terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and violent extremists perceive that negotiations, rehabilitation, or political considerations may ultimately shield them from accountability, the deterrent effect of the law is weakened.

This does not mean that reconciliation and rehabilitation have no place in national security strategy. They can be useful tools under specific circumstances. However, rehabilitation without justice risks creating a culture of impunity. Peace built on impunity is often temporary. Peace built on accountability is more sustainable.

The greatest tragedy is that ordinary Nigerians continue to bear the burden of insecurity. Farmers abandon their lands for fear of attack. Businesses close due to kidnappings and violence. Investors look elsewhere. Families mourn loved ones lost to avoidable acts of terror. Communities that once thrived are reduced to camps for internally displaced persons.

Nigeria’s security challenge requires more than military operations and political rhetoric. It requires a national commitment to justice. It requires the prosecution of terrorists, financiers of terrorism, kidnappers, and collaborators. It requires better intelligence, stronger border security, improved policing, and meaningful support for victims.

The lesson from the past twenty-seven years is clear: peace cannot be sustained where impunity thrives. While governments may pursue different approaches to ending violence, Nigerians deserve a security framework that places justice, accountability, and the protection of innocent citizens at its centre.

The ultimate responsibility of any government is the protection of lives and property. Until that responsibility is fulfilled consistently and decisively, the dream of a peaceful and secure Nigeria will remain elusive.

For Nigeria to overcome insurgency and insecurity, the country must send an unmistakable message: violence against innocent citizens will never be rewarded, excused, or forgotten. Only then can lasting peace become a reality.