Abuja — In a searing opinion piece published by Vanguard, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa argues that Nigeria is failing to confront the true scale and root causes of its ongoing security crisis. Adegboruwa contends that the government’s response—marked by inconsistent policies and public denial—is dangerously out of step with the reality on the ground.
He points to the declaration by the United States that Nigeria is a “country of particular concern” as a catalytic moment — one that the Nigerian government appears to be treating more as a diplomatic embarrassment than a clarion call for urgent reform. According to Adegboruwa, President Bola Tinubu may only be waking up to his constitutional responsibilities through external pressure.
A particularly damning claim in the column involves officers of the Nigeria Customs Service: Adegboruwa says he saw an unedited video in which customs officers admit to sharing confiscated rice with terrorists, suggesting a disturbing level of collusion in order to “buy peace. He suggests that such behaviour reflects a government so overwhelmed it is being forced into compromises that undermine state sovereignty and legitimacy.
While Adegboruwa says he does not view religion as the central driver of Nigeria’s instability, he warns against minimizing the role of religiously motivated violence—especially in northern states. He criticizes certain states’ implementation of Sharia law, warning that it is eroding constitutional protections and threatening national unity.
He quotes legal and civil society voices who argue that Nigeria’s silence or minimizing of the violence plays into the hands of extremists. As one contributor in his piece put it: “We do not need President Donald Trump to tell us this … we prolong the issue if we live in denial.
Adegboruwa ends with a stark warning: ignoring these killings is not just a moral failure—it is a betrayal of Nigeria’s constitutional promise to protect all its citizens, regardless of faith.