By James Aduku Odaudu, PhD
For more than a decade, insecurity has remained Nigeria’s most daunting national challenge. From the insurgency in the North-East to banditry in the North-West and violent attacks across the North-Central, countless communities have lived under the shadow of fear. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost, millions displaced, livelihoods destroyed, and once-thriving rural economies reduced to mere memories. Across large swathes of the country, farmers have abandoned fertile lands, schools have closed, businesses have collapsed, and hope has steadily given way to despair.
It is against this backdrop that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the establishment of new Nigerian Army formations in strategic locations across the country deserves commendation.
This decision is far more than an expansion of military infrastructure; it represents a strategic recalibration of Nigeria’s security architecture to confront emerging threats where they occur and to restore government presence in vulnerable communities that have long felt abandoned.
The initiative demonstrates an appreciation of the changing dynamics of insecurity and reinforces the administration’s determination to reclaim every part of Nigeria from criminal elements. More importantly, it sends a reassuring message to millions of Nigerians that their security concerns are being addressed through deliberate and practical measures rather than rhetoric.
Nowhere is this renewed commitment more significant than in the North-Central region, where Benue, Kogi, Niger, Plateau and Nasarawa States have endured years of relentless attacks by armed criminal groups. The region, often described as Nigeria’s agricultural backbone, has suffered immeasurably from killings, kidnappings, destruction of property and the displacement of farming populations whose productivity is critical to national food security.
For the people of Kogi State, particularly in Omala, Dekina Bassa, Kabba-Bunu , Mopa-Amuro and Yagba Local Government Areas, insecurity has become an unfortunate reality. Communities that once enjoyed peaceful coexistence have repeatedly experienced attacks that forced residents to flee their ancestral homes.
Similarly, in Benue State, Agatu, Ohimini, Otukpo Gwer West, and several neighbouring local government areas have endured repeated assaults that have claimed hundreds of lives, destroyed homes and crippled economic activities.
Perhaps nowhere has this tragedy been more visible than in the agrarian settlements that once symbolised agricultural prosperity but have, over the years, become ghost communities. Settlements such as Agojeju-Odo, Bagana, Agbenema, Ajokpachi, Iyade, Oganenigu, Olowa and numerous surrounding villages in Omala Local Government Area once bustled with farming, fishing, commerce and vibrant social life. Today, many of these communities bear the painful scars of repeated invasions by criminal elements.
For years, vast expanses of fertile farmland in these areas have remained uncultivated because farmers simply could not risk venturing into their fields. Families abandoned homes built over generations, schools recorded dwindling enrolment or shut down entirely, health centres became inaccessible, local markets disappeared, and economic activities that sustained thousands of households came to an abrupt halt. The silence that now hangs over many of these once-thriving settlements is a constant reminder of the devastating human cost of insecurity.
The consequences extend far beyond the affected communities. As agricultural production declined across these fertile belts, food shortages became more pronounced, commodity prices increased, rural unemployment worsened, and poverty deepened. The security crisis in these communities is therefore not merely a local concern; it is a national economic challenge that directly affects food security, inflation, rural development and social stability.
The creation of additional Army formations therefore offers genuine hope that this tragic narrative can begin to change.
Permanent military formations provide more than physical infrastructure. They significantly reduce response time during emergencies, strengthen intelligence gathering, improve surveillance of vulnerable corridors, enhance coordination among security agencies and, perhaps most importantly, reassure local populations that government has not abandoned them.
Their psychological value is equally significant. Criminal groups thrive where state authority appears weak or absent. A sustained military presence denies such groups operational freedom, disrupts their movement, protects critical infrastructure and restores public confidence in government institutions.
For communities like Agojeju-Odo, Bagana, Agbenema, Ajokpachi, Iyade, Oganenigu and Olowa, the establishment of nearby military formations represents the possibility of returning home after years of displacement. It means farmers may once again cultivate their lands without constant fear of attack. Fishermen can safely return to the rivers that sustained their families for generations. Traders can reopen rural markets. Children can resume schooling in safer environments, while healthcare workers can once again serve communities that have remained isolated by insecurity.
The same renewed optimism extends to the people of Dekina, Kabba-Bunu, Agatu, Ohimini, Otukpo and numerous neighbouring communities whose economic and social lives have been severely disrupted by persistent violence.
Security and agriculture are inseparable. Benue’s well-earned reputation as Nigeria’s Food Basket and Kogi’s enormous agricultural potential can only be fully realised when farmers are able to cultivate their lands in safety. Every hectare returned to cultivation strengthens national food security, creates employment, stimulates rural commerce and contributes to economic growth.
In this regard, President Tinubu’s security initiative should also be viewed as an investment in economic recovery. Protecting farming communities is essential to reducing food inflation, improving rural incomes, encouraging private investment in agriculture and strengthening Nigeria’s non-oil economy.
Nevertheless, establishing new military formations is only the first step. Their effectiveness will depend on adequate personnel, modern equipment, reliable logistics, intelligence-driven operations and sustained funding. Success will equally require close collaboration among the Nigerian Army, other security agencies, state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders and local vigilante structures operating within the law.
Experience has consistently shown that local communities constitute the most valuable source of actionable intelligence. Building trust between security personnel and residents will therefore remain indispensable to dismantling criminal networks and preventing future attacks.
Government must also continue addressing the underlying socioeconomic factors that contribute to insecurity, including unemployment, youth disillusionment, rural underdevelopment, poor road infrastructure and inadequate economic opportunities. Military action can suppress violence, but lasting peace ultimately depends on inclusive development and responsive governance.
Even so, the establishment of these new Army formations marks an important turning point in Nigeria’s collective effort to restore peace and security. It reflects a government that recognises the urgency of protecting its citizens and is prepared to adapt national security structures to contemporary realities.
For the people of Agojeju-Odo, Agbenema, Bagana, Ajokpachi, Iyade, Oganenigu, Olowa, and for countless other communities across Omala, Dekina, Kabba-Bunu, Agatu, Ohimini, Otukpo and the wider North-Central region, this initiative represents far more than additional barracks or troop deployments. It rekindles hope that abandoned homes will once again be occupied, that children will grow up without the trauma of violent attacks, that displaced families will return to rebuild their communities, and that fertile farmlands that have lain fallow for years will once again feed the nation.
If implemented with professionalism, sustained political commitment and the active support of host communities, the new Army formations could become one of the most consequential security reforms of the Tinubu administration. More importantly, they could mark the beginning of the long-awaited rebirth of Nigeria’s agrarian heartland—a region whose peace, productivity and prosperity are indispensable to the country’s stability, economic resilience and national unity.
• Dr Odaudu is a development administrator and Convener of the Kogi Professionals Network. He can be reached at jamesaduku@gmail.com
