Why Attacks Persist Despite Known Terrorist Hideouts — Serving Senior Officers

Repentant terrorists who were absorbed into security structures are allegedly leaking operational information to armed groups, according to serving senior officers who spoke anonymously, raising fresh concerns about Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategy.

The officers also lamented recent battlefield losses, including the killing of three lieutenant colonels in Borno State, where units were overrun and military equipment seized.

Their concerns add to a growing national debate triggered by claims that authorities already know the identities and locations of many terrorists operating across the country.

For years, Nigeria has faced persistent attacks by insurgents and bandits across several regions. Entire communities have been displaced, farms abandoned and schools closed as families struggle to live under the constant threat of violence.

Against this backdrop, a troubling question has increasingly surfaced in public discourse: if the government knows who the terrorists are and where they operate, why do attacks continue with little sign of decisive disruption?

The debate intensified after Islamic cleric Sheikh Abubakar Gumi said during an interview on DRTV that authorities were aware of the identities and hideouts of terrorists.

“The government knows every terrorist by name and by location,” he said, adding that some of his visits to bandit camps were carried out with the knowledge of security agencies.

The claim reinforced suspicions among many Nigerians that intelligence about insurgent networks exists but may not be fully translated into operational success.

Zamfara State governor Dauda Lawal echoed similar concerns in a video that circulated in September 2025. The governor said intelligence available to him allowed him to track bandit leaders across the state.

“I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandit leader is in Zamfara State, I know it,” he said, explaining that operational authority ultimately lies with federal security command structures.

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai also stirred controversy earlier when he alleged during a television appearance that bandits had at some point received payments intended to persuade them to stop attacks, though the claim was later challenged.

Security analysts say the persistence of violence despite intelligence gathering points to deeper structural weaknesses.

Intelligence and security consultant Yahuza Getzo noted that Nigeria’s security challenges are shaped partly by regional dynamics and porous borders.

“The trajectory of the security challenges that we have in the country has a lot of factorial influence related to our neighbourhoods such as the borders between Nigeria and Niger, Nigeria and Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon and Nigeria and Chad,” he said.

Getzo questioned whether available resources were being used effectively.

“We may have the equipment and gadgets, but the question is whether we are really holding ourselves and our personnel accountable for utilising them.”

He also warned that some insurgent groups are increasingly targeting state institutions, including customs, police and immigration facilities.

For retired United States Army officer Capt. Bishop Johnson, Nigeria’s security response has largely been reactive.

“We are ill-equipped and not adequately prepared. We have not really taken the time to understand what is happening to us,” he said.

Johnson linked the rise in banditry partly to illicit mining and the growing profitability of kidnapping for ransom.

“If you come into Nigeria and you are able to kidnap people and ransom is paid, your life changes,” he said, suggesting that criminal networks may be using abductions to mask illegal exploitation of mineral resources.

Johnson also argued that authorities should consider using available intelligence sources, including controversial intermediaries.

“If the government says it does not know these people, then what is the job of the intelligence agencies?” he asked.

Dr. Tony Ofoyetan, Director-General of the International Institute of Professional Security, said the crisis extends beyond locating insurgents.

He warned that sleeper cells — networks of individuals who quietly support extremist groups — have embedded themselves in various sectors of society.

“These cells can include financiers, sympathisers and operatives who gradually position themselves in strategic roles in politics, religion, business or even intelligence,” he said.

According to him, such individuals may live quietly within communities for years while gathering information that later enables attacks.

“Terrorist attacks are usually the final stage of a long process. By the time an attack occurs, extensive groundwork has already been done,” he said.

Ofoyetan also suggested that some influential figures may be indirectly shielding terrorist networks.

“Some politicians publicly oppose certain military operations, sometimes claiming human rights concerns, but in some cases it may be because those operations threaten networks they are sympathetic to,” he said.

He also criticised the concept of “repentant terrorists,” arguing that terrorism should be treated strictly as a criminal offence under the law.

Retired Rear Admiral Dickson Olisemelor said public knowledge of bandit activity often appears to outpace official action.

He cited an incident in which hundreds of motorcycles carrying armed riders reportedly moved through parts of Niger State before a later school abduction.

“In the last few days in Borno State we have lost three lieutenant colonels, with their units destroyed and equipment taken away, yet nothing significant seems to have happened,” he said.

Serving military officers who spoke anonymously expressed concern that former bandits who claim to have renounced violence may have been integrated into some security units.

One officer said the practice has created risks of information leaks.

“Some soldiers in certain units were recruited from among the same bandits who claimed to be repentant. Many of them still have links with their former associates. That is why information keeps leaking,” the officer said.

Another officer warned that the long-term consequences of such policies could be severe.

He also alleged that some armed groups now use drones and have the capacity to intercept communications, while many frontline troops lack similar capabilities.

The officer further suggested that political interests sometimes complicate security operations.

“Some politicians who should be confronting these groups are not doing anything. In some cases they may even be supporting them,” he said.

For many Nigerians, the debate continues to circle back to the same unresolved question: if intelligence exists and the actors are known, why does violence persist across communities that remain trapped between fear and uncertainty.