FRONTROW on The Southerner Newspaper
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Just imagine. Over 1,000 terror organisations are thriving in sub-saharan Africa alone. And that is going by the conventional definition of terror groups only. When Canada’s expanded classification of terror organisations is factored, it could be much more than the African Defence Chiefs currently meeting in Abuja may have imagined.
Last week on this page, the judgement by a Canadian Federal judge that deemed the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), the successor in government, as terror organisations got both parties to the side, at least this once.
Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, ex-Minister of External Affairs and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, made the revelation that over 1,000 terror groups are active in sub-saharan Africa, a figure he attributed to the African Research Network for Regional and Global Governance Innovation. He regretted that rather than focus on economic integration, “we are now devoting much of their attention to issues of banditry, terrorism, and insurgency”.
It is a grim picture ahead with his prediction that the number will keep rising, warning that the continent risks becoming a permanent war zone unless urgent, practical, and collective measures are taken.
There are mixed messages from the Sahel where Niger Republic, Mali and Burkina Faso had earlier withdraw from the West African group, ECOWAS, after Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu had broached an ill-advised military expedition to restore “democratic governance” in Niger after the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
The country’s Chief of Defence Staff was in Abuja, but his Burkinabe and Malian counterparts stayed away. It is difficult, for now, to tell if the sign points to a thawing of the hard-line against Nigeria. Is Niger charting its own course, indicating that the alliance is no longer tightly knit?
Nigeria’s General Christopher Musa has pulled has pulled off a massive effort to adopt a continental approach to fighting terrorism by convening the first conference of Chief of Defence Staffs that drew more than 40 participating countries.
If a cohesive strategy to check trans-border incursions by terror groups is adopted, perhaps the sanctuary provided by countries turning the blind eye when groups terrorising their neighbours enter their domain may just signal the comprehensive defeat of terrorist organisations.
For Nigeria, nothing changes. The military has been putting in its optimum while the area of combating kidnapping that is almost crippling the country is still seen as a federal affair. The political class is still hedging to amend the constitution that will empower states to join in the fight by establishing their own Police.
*From the mailbox*
There have many reactions from readers to some of the many subjects treated on this platform. Today, I will take one of the lot for now:
On “The crisis of citizenship”
This is thought-provoking.
It is unfortunate that people no longer have the courage to speak up. The rulers have so weaponized poverty to the extent that the ruled are now subjugated to the level of emasculation.
The very few who are supposed to speak up are playing the ostrich either because of ethnic prejudices or religious affinities.
The citizens no longer hold the rulers accountable. What we now have is a ” siddon look” situation. It is a worrisome situation!
Emmanuel Odiaka, PhD
Lagos
