Affliction has risen again
Nigeria’s insecurity problem is spreading to more states
Good morning, Big Brains. My heart breaks for the people who have lost their lives and loved ones to insecurity in 2025. This is becoming a trend, and writing this edition left me with one question: How many more Nigerians need to die before the government takes action?
This Week’s Big Question: “You get the chance to select the face of corruption in Nigeria, who are you picking?” Share your responses with us, and if we think they’re fun enough, we’ll feature them in the newsletter :) so be on the lookout.
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1 000
Reading time ~ 5 mins
Let’s get into the news you missed during the weekend:
Nigeria’s insecurity problem is spreading to more states
Uyo’s progressive king is making his community safer for women
The Big Deal
Nigeria’s insecurity problem is spreading to more states
Affliction doesn’t typically arise a second time, but nothing has been typical about Nigeria for a while.
On Thursday, May 8, Imo joined the growing list of states that have suffered violence in the last few months when gunmen launched an attack that killed 15 people along the Okwelle axis of Okigwe Road.
According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen blocked the road and shot at innocent civilians. The full details of the attack are still coming together, but on Saturday, May 10, the police issued a statement about their findings so far. Imo State police spokesperson Henry Okoye said the police traced the attack back to suspected members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
We’re still not sure how true that claim is, but we’ll keep our eyes on the ground for any new updates this week.
Why is this a big deal?
In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 1420 Nigerians lost their lives to insecurity. Though most of these incidents were recorded in the North, they are slowly spreading to the South.
Ironically, the Tinubu-led administration has been generous with its security and defence budget allocations. In 2024, the government allocated ₦3.85 trillion for the Security and Defence sector. In 2025, the budget went up to ₦6.11 trillion, making it the most funded sector in Nigeria’s largest budget yet.
Despite these generous allocations, states like Plateau, Benue and Borno currently live through hell. If you’re wondering where the money is going, we’re trying to figure it out too.
In December 2024, the police officers deployed to the Northeast publicly announced that their allowances had been held for six months. What makes this interesting is that the 2024 allocation for security made up 13.38% of the national budget, which makes it obvious that allocation of funds wouldn’t necessarily equal protection for the average Nigerian or reward for the average security officer. And that is beyond depressing.
We’re sending all our love to everyone in Imo state and hoping the government will finally treat the country’s rising insecurity like a national emergency.
Uyo’s progressive king is making his community safer for women
We’re not sure what the royal equivalent of a “girl’s girl” should be, but that’s the title the paramount ruler of the Uyo Kingdom, Edidem Sylvanus Effiong Okon, earned himself after banning every form of gender-based violence and traditional practices in his community.
The declaration, made on Thursday, May 8, 2025, wasn’t just a random ban. It results from months of serious conversations with elders, youth leaders, religious figures, women’s groups, and pretty much everybody in the community. The ban was also backed by Women At Risk International Foundation (WARIF) , UN Women, and the Ford Foundation.
With this ban, everything that’s ever threatened the safety and dignity of women and girls in the community has been declared illegal. King Okon also gave a PSA to anyone willing to mess around and find out what would happen if they did anything against this ban; there will be traditional and legal consequences.
The Uyo Kingdom is also partnering with the Akwa Ibom State Government, and other allies to make sure this decree is fully implemented.
We hope Nigerian senate leaders can learn a thing or two from Uyo, but we’ll take this win for now.
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