Afenifere, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, expressed concern on Friday over the killing of military personnel in an attack on the Benisheikh military base in Borno State. The group confirmed the death of the base's Commanding Officer, Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, who was killed by Boko Haram insurgents on Thursday. In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere condemned the persistent insecurity in Nigeria. It cited internal sabotage, complicity among political actors and security agencies, and possible foreign interests targeting Nigeria's mineral resources as contributing factors. The organisation questioned how armed bandits moving in convoys on motorbikes could operate with such ease. It pointed to recent attacks on schools in Maga, Kebbi State, and Woro, Kwara State, shortly after military withdrawal, as evidence of coordinated infiltration. Afenifere urged a thorough review of internal security mechanisms and called for targeted measures against suspected sponsors of banditry. It referenced the amnesty programme under the late President Umaru Yar'Adua as a precedent for disarming non-state actors through persuasion and legal sanctions.
Brigadier General Oseni Braimah's death in Benisheikh is not just another casualty report—it exposes the depth of systemic rot within Nigeria's security architecture. Afenifere's pointed reference to informants and protectors within security and political circles suggests the enemy is not only outside the gate but possibly seated at the table. When an attack follows military withdrawal from a school with precision timing, as in Maga and Woro, it implies more than coincidence—it points to embedded coordination.
The organisation's focus on internal complicity hits a nerve long ignored: insecurity thrives not just from lack of firepower, but from calculated enablement. The mention of foreign interests eyeing mineral resources adds a layer often dismissed as conspiracy, yet it aligns with documented movements in Nigeria's troubled belt. If bandits move in armed convoys on motorbikes, visibly and unchecked, the failure is not operational—it is intentional. The Yar'Adua-era amnesty example isn't nostalgia; it's a rebuke to current leadership's lack of political will.
Ordinary Nigerians in Borno, Kebbi, and Kwara live under dual threats—the violence of insurgents and the betrayal of systems meant to protect them. Farmers, students, and soldiers alike pay the price for a security culture compromised from within. This isn't just a military crisis; it's a crisis of trust. Each attack reinforces the belief that the state is either powerless or complicit.
A pattern has solidified: attacks follow security pullouts, suspects move freely, and no high-ranking enabler has ever been prosecuted. This continuity across administrations reveals a governance model where insecurity is managed, not defeated.
