The recent air strikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) against fleeing plotters of a botched coup in Benin Republic should serve as a glaring wake-up call for our government. For over 30 minutes, fighter jets swooped across Beninese skies, targeting mutineers in armored vehicles, leaving no room for escape, regrouping, or further chaos. The operation was meticulously planned, precise, and executed with absolute resolve.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu acted swiftly at the request of Benin authorities. And why not? Our neighbor asked for help, and our military delivered. Nigerian jets neutralized hostile elements before they could destabilize Benin Repbulic. Lives were protected. Chaos was contained. When Nigeria acts decisively, we are unstoppable.
President Tinubu deserves commendation for the efforts he has made thus far to combat insecurity—reshuffling service chiefs, revising security strategies, and boosting coordination among the armed forces. These are important steps that signal his seriousness about protecting Nigerians. But while these changes are necessary, they are not sufficient. More visible, immediate action on the ground is needed to truly secure the lives of our citizens.
Just across our borders, Nigerian citizens continue to live under siege from bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers. Communities in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, and Edo states are terrorized on a daily basis. Innocent men, women, and children are slaughtered or abducted with impunity. And unlike the coup plotters in Benin Repbulic, these criminal elements operate freely within our territory, confident that the Nigerian government will respond sluggishly, if at all.
Why is it that Nigeria can coordinate rapid air strikes across international borders yet cannot deploy similar urgency at home? Why is the same NAF that neutralizes coup plotters in Benin not used to dismantle bandit camps in the North West, terrorist hideouts in the North East, or kidnappers’ dens in the South? The inconsistency is baffling.
The Nigerian government must confront an uncomfortable truth: our nation is hemorrhaging under the weight of insecurity because our response has been reactive, not proactive. We celebrate heroic interventions abroad while our citizens die at home. This is unacceptable. Every day we delay, more blood is spilled, more homes are razed, and more communities are left traumatized.
Air power is only one tool, but it is an indispensable one. The same precision, planning, and coordination that allowed our fighter jets to neutralize coup plotters in Benin must be replicated against armed criminal syndicates in Nigeria. Bandits and terrorists do not respect bureaucracy or political niceties—they only respect force. It is time the state demonstrates it can match their ruthlessness.
Security experts have long argued that intelligence-driven, surgical military operations are the most effective means to degrade criminal networks. Yet, too often, our forces are tied down by red tape, constrained by politics, and left to operate in a vacuum of support. The Benin operation proved we can act decisively when we want to. The question is: do we want to protect our people as much as we want to protect regional stability?
Let it be clear: this editorial is not a call for reckless violence. It is a demand for competence, courage, and urgency. Nigeria has the personnel, equipment, and expertise to conduct precise air and ground operations against armed groups. What we lack is political will. Leadership that excuses inaction while citizens are abducted is a betrayal of office.
Communities have been waiting too long for relief. Parents live in perpetual fear that the next trip to the market will be their last. Farmers abandon their lands. Traders shutter their shops. Schools are deserted. Economies crumble under the weight of fear. Meanwhile, the same government that coordinates cross-border air strikes takes months—or even years—to respond to domestic terror.
The time for half-measures is over. Tinubu must issue clear directives: no hesitation, no bureaucratic delays, no excuses. The Nigerian Air Force, in collaboration with the Army, Navy, and local vigilante groups, must target bandits’ camps, dismantle terrorist enclaves, and neutralize kidnappers. If our jets can fly over Benin, they can surely dominate our own skies to protect our people.
We must also demand accountability. Security agencies must report transparently on operations against domestic threats. Families deserve to know that the lives of their loved ones are valued. The Nigerian government must demonstrate that the protection of its citizens is not negotiable, that the rule of law applies even to the most armed and ruthless criminals.
International cooperation is valuable, but it cannot replace decisive action at home. The Benin strikes show Nigeria can operate with speed and coordination. Applying that same principle internally would save countless lives, restore public confidence, and finally send the message that criminality will not be tolerated on Nigerian soil.
In conclusion,the Nigerian government has already proven it can act with precision, speed, and decisiveness. The same energy, same rigor, and same commitment must be turned inward. Bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers should be made to feel the full might of a state unwilling to negotiate with evil. The time for excuses is over.
The people of Nigeria deserve nothing less than the swift, unflinching protection that the NAF demonstrated in Benin. If we can do it for our neighbors, surely we can do it for ourselves. President Tinubu deserves credit for laying the groundwork, but it is high time that groundwork translates into immediate, visible, life-saving action.
