Nigeria had cause to redraw its map some years back, and it was justifiably so. Following the loss of the case filed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) between Nigeria and Cameroon, over the ownership of oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula, the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo had to comply by ceding the disputed territory to neighbours, Cameroon, and then reshaped the country’s boundaries, thereby altering its map geographically.
The unfolding scenario in Nigeria right now is, however, calling for the repeat of such an exercise. This time, however, there is no need to await the judgment of the ICJ. Since the bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers have taken control of the Nigerian forests and areas described as “ungoverned or ungovernable,” the country can decide to let go of such territories and quickly redraw its map to recognise that reality. Several incidents that have taken place in recent times would justify this.
Let me first refer to the news story on page 21 of the Nigerian Tribune of January 16, 2026. The story with the headline: “Tidibale: Sokoto govt debunks video, says affected villagers evacuated to ‘safer place.” In that story, the government of Sokoto State came up with a press statement, which debunked the claim that villagers of Tidibale community in Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State have been chased away by bandits, who threatened to kill them all. The government said that the people were only relocated to the headquarters of the local government. In the contradictory statement, the government claimed on one hand that the people were relocated to the headquarters of the council-a “safer place,” on one hand, on the other hand, it claimed that the people have since been returned to their ancestral homes.
The statement read: “The attention of the Sokoto State government has been drawn to a viral video circulating on social media alleging that the individuals seen in the footage were residents of Tidibale village who were chased away by bandits.
“The Sokoto State government wishes to clarify that the individuals in the video are indeed residents of Tidibale village in Isa Local Government Area, but were not chased away by bandits. Rather, they were temporarily conveyed to Isa Local Government headquarters by council authorities, following a rumour doing the round that bandits were planning an attack on the community.” The story looks incomprehensible; the residents were not chased away by bandits but had to be relocated to a “safer place” by council officials upon the receipt of rumour that bandits were planning an attack.
The incident was, however, placed in clear perspective by a report by The StraitsTimes which on January 14 reported that thousands of residents of the North-Western state of Sokoto, Nigeria, fled their homes following an order by Bello Turji, the wanted bandit leader. The report indicated that Turji suspected that a tip-off from the community led to a recent military operation, which killed one of his men, adding that he visited Tidibale, killed three people to enforce his order to the villagers that they must leave the area. “He told them if anyone remains when he returns, they will be killed. He said he will not spare even a chicken,” the publication quoted Basharu Altine Guyawa, identified as the Sokoto State coordinator of the Movement for Social Justice and Good Governance, as saying.
So, it was on the strength of the Turji’s order that the council had to relocate the residents to a “safer place.” What this simply means is that Bello Turji has his area of influence within Sokoto State, which even the state government recognises.
If the story of Sokoto State is disheartening, the account rendered by the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, about happenings in Benue State would not just touch the heart, they tear its inner walls into pieces.
Speaking on Arise television on Thursday, the former Attorney General of the Federation said that the recent decision by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to bomb some parts of Sokoto State in Northern Nigeria was justifiable. He said that such international collaboration, which led to the attack, did not undermine national sovereignty.
He also stated that the deteriorating security situation in Benue State was undeniable, adding that the Federal Government should replicate the type of attack on Sokoto in Benue State because terrorists have, according to him, taken over Swarts of Benue State. He said that 10 out of 13 wards in Ukum Local Government Area of the state are now under bandit occupation.
He said: “At the main market in Ukum, which is the exact main market that produces yams for the country, they have settled less than three kilometers away from the main market. And that is alarming.”
Aondoakaa warned that the displacement of farmers poses a grave threat to food security in the state.
“You are talking of a situation where 80 per cent in Benue State are farmers, and the farmers have been displaced. There’s a potential danger of hunger that’s more serious than the mayhem being caused by the bandits,” he said.
The former minister called for urgent military intervention, suggesting that either the Nigerian Air Force should act or that the government should seek international support similar to the Sokoto operation.
“Anywhere there is concentration, the bandits are concentrating. There’s need for either the Nigerian Air Force to move in, or if they do not have the capacity, then the same collaboration that happened with the U.S. government to flush them out,” he stated.
We have heard similar stories from Plateau, Nasarawa, and Zamfara axes. Stories of farmers who have to pay bandits to access their farms and harvest their crops at harvest time. Failure to comply with the terrorists’ demand amounts to instant death. These stories don’t just touch the heart; they damage that fragile region of the human body.
So, what is confirmed is that from Sokoto, to Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Nasarawa, Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Adamawa, Kogi, Kwara, and Yobe, bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists have carved out parts of the Nigerian territory which they superintend over and impose their will. Even if you want to doubt that claim, you will remember the kidnapping of 287 students of Kuriga school in Kaduna, who were released after 14 days. The bandits kept and fed 287 people for 14 days, and you want to deny that they don’t have their own territory? Also, recall that over 300 students of St. Mary’s Catholic school were also abducted in Niger State, while several reports had claimed that over 2 million cases of kidnapping were reported in Nigeria between May 2023 and April 2024. Further distressing statistics out there indicated that between July 2022 and June 2023, 3,620 people were abducted in over 582 kidnapping incidents, while a combined ransom of about N5 billion was demanded. In Kogi, Kwara, and the North Central states, kidnapping has become a daily occurrence, with civilians facing instant and installmental deaths.
If kidnappers and bandits can keep 300 victims in whatever location, away from the prying eyes of the security forces for the number of days they so choose, and go home without a scratch after they decide to release their victims, you don’t need soothsayers to confirm that such a group not only has roofs over their heads, they also have strong backbones.
And if all the police can do at every tragic turn is to reel out the number of victims, dead or missing, then we may not need to keep endangering the citizens anymore. As we did to Bakassi, let’s cede the troubled spots to the bandits, redraw the nation’s map, and then the citizens can live in peace. Check out these other heartbreaking statistics. In 2024, 20 communities in Katsina State were affected by banditry. It reduced to eight in 2025. During the attacks, they kidnapped and killed. They also kept their victims until they got tired. In Kaduna State, 15 attacks were recorded in 2024 and eight in 2025. Eight of Zamfara local governments witnessed attacks in 2024 and nine in 2025, while six of Sokoto local governments experienced violent attacks in 2024 and four in 2025. In fact, the North-West region of the country accounted for 1.7 million victims in the over 2 million cases recorded between May 2023 and April 2024, and in 2024 alone, reports indicated that 1,130 kidnap incidents were recorded involving 7,568 people abducted. In those incidents, the abductors were said to have demanded at least N11 billion. And if you check out the essence of these criminal activities, you will see politics, you will see fundamentalism, and pure criminality. Some people aid and abet these crimes for no just cause. Some politicians are sympathetic to criminal gangs because they could come in handy when it is time to disrupt elections at the bases of their opponents. In the years past, they used to stuff ballot boxes and force INEC officials to record them at gunpoint. The politicians are guilty; the religious leaders are guilty. When the women of Kogi were singing a song that ended with Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, some years back, they thought they were praise-singing the victory of their hero. They never knew they were busy empowering the bandits and kidnappers who would today turn the state into the kidnapping capital of the country.
To find peace for the hapless citizens, the government may just have to eat the humble pie. They don’t need to call us giants of Africa. If you are called a hawk, the deeds of the dangerous bird should not be far from your conduct. We can simply avoid trouble by taking a firm hold of the part of the Nigerian territory that we consider useful, while we allow the men in the forests to govern the areas they currently occupy. With that peace deal, even Donald Trump won’t be bothered.
(Published by Sunday Tribune, January 18, 2026)
