The Nigerian Army's year-end report makes for impressive reading: 1,023 kidnap victims rescued, 189 AK-47 rifles recovered, and 305 bandits neutralised across Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi, and Zamfara states in 2025.
General Officer Commanding 8 Division, General Olusegun Ajose, has praised these achievements as critical to restoring security and enabling displaced persons to return to their communities.
These figures represent genuine progress in a region that has endured years of relentless bandit violence. Yet before the nation celebrates too enthusiastically, it is necessary to ask some uncomfortable questions about what these numbers truly signify.
While commendable gains have been recorded, the persistence of abductions demands deeper scrutiny--not only of military tactics, but also of governance gaps and the scope for sustained international cooperation to consolidate progress.
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Throughout 2025, operations conducted under initiatives such as Operation Fansan Yamma combined kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, resulting in the neutralisation of 305 bandits and the seizure of 305 motorcycles, among other items. Intelligence-driven raids freed victims who were often subjected to ransom demands or forced labour, underscoring improved tactical coordination and operational capability.
These successes form part of a broader national effort in which security forces neutralised 20 terrorist commanders, arrested 4,375 suspects, and rescued 2,336 individuals nationwide during the year.
In the North-West specifically, operations conducted within a 72-hour period in early January 2026 reportedly led to the neutralisation of 47 terrorists and the rescue of more than 30 kidnapped victims nationwide. Notable among these was the interception of a female ammunition courier in Zamfara on December 29, 2025.
While these figures point to growing military dominance, the scale of rescues also highlights the deeply entrenched nature of the crisis. Bandits, exploiting vast ungoverned spaces, have disrupted communities and agricultural activity for years. Encouragingly, sustained operations now appear to be reversing this trend.
High-profile incidents such as the November abduction of more than 300 students in Niger State--followed by phased releases and eventual freedom by late December--illustrate both the gravity of the challenge and the improving effectiveness of response mechanisms.
According to SBM Intelligence, the North-West recorded 425 incidents and 2,938 abductions between July 2024 and June 2025. However, recent operational gains suggest the possibility of a downturn as pressure on armed groups intensifies. This coexistence of progress and persistent threat reflects meaningful strategic advancement while exposing areas that still require urgent attention.
The region's security landscape remains complex. Banditry increasingly intersects with jihadist influences seeking to control territory, impose illegal levies, and restrict movement. In Zamfara and Sokoto, attacks on villages and highways continue, even as military interventions yield tangible results.
The United Nations has reported 402 abductions across north-central and north-eastern states since late November 2025, many involving schoolchildren. Yet stories of resilience--such as the escape of 50 pupils from captivity in Niger State--offer cautious optimism.
Analytically, recent gains point to improved coordination, but persistent challenges remain: disjointed federal-state collaboration, underfunding, corruption, porous borders with Niger Republic that enable arms trafficking, and climate-driven farmer-herder conflicts that fuel recruitment into armed groups.
Nationally, 997 kidnapping incidents recorded between mid-2024 and mid-2025 underscore the scale of the crisis. However, the North-West's agricultural importance makes these military successes particularly significant. Restoring security is vital for economic recovery, food production, and averting shortages projected to affect millions in 2026.
Official narratives attribute these gains to sustained presidential backing, noting that improved security has allowed residents to resume farming, schooling, and daily life. In its end-of-year reflections, the Army reported that more than 13,500 terrorists and criminals were neutralised nationwide in 2025, with the North-West's 1,023 rescues standing out.
Civil society groups caution, however, that while reactive rescues are essential, preventive strategies addressing root causes remain indispensable.
In our view, the government's military-led approach is producing results, but long-term sustainability will depend on integrating security operations with robust socioeconomic interventions. International assistance--such as reported U.S. air strikes against jihadist targets in Sokoto in late December 2025--has reinforced these efforts, though it also raises legitimate questions about sovereignty and the imperative of self-reliance.
These gains matter deeply for national cohesion and prosperity. Reducing abductions encourages investment, protects education, curbs radicalisation, and eases pressure on humanitarian systems already strained by thousands of victims annually. Revitalising farmlands in the North-West could help stabilise inflation, reduce poverty, and limit the spillover of insecurity into southern states, as previously witnessed in Kwara.
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To consolidate progress, federal and state authorities must align military operations with development programmes, strengthen community policing, and expand intelligence-sharing networks. President Bola Tinubu should commission independent audits of security expenditure to ensure transparency and efficiency. Lawmakers must prioritise legislation on border security and anti-complicity measures, while civil society should play a watchdog role, fostering dialogue and reconciliation at the community level.
Regionally, Nigeria must deepen counter-terrorism cooperation while safeguarding sovereignty, including revitalising ECOWAS-led frameworks to confront trans-Sahelian threats.
The North-West's security crisis did not emerge overnight, and it will not be resolved quickly. But the military achievements of 2025 demonstrate that progress is possible when operations are adequately resourced and sustained.
The remaining question is whether Nigeria's political leadership will match military resolve with the governance reforms required to make these gains permanent. The rescued victims and their families deserve nothing less. So do millions of Nigerians who should be able to farm their land, attend school, and travel the country's roads without fear of abduction.
