MIDWEEK MUSING
WHEN INTELLIGENCE CRIES OUT: SHALL WE WAIT FOR ANOTHER MASSACRE BEFORE ACTING?
It is now widely reported , and indeed formally published , that a frontline security agency has alerted the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State, of an imminent terrorist attack on Gbabe Community in Baruten Local Government Area.
The intelligence, as publicly available, reportedly details the operational movements of the marauding group, clearly outlining the likelihood of yet another bloody onslaught. In other words, this is not speculation. It is not rumour. It is not political gossip whispered in dark corridors. It is actionable intelligence, precise, predictive, and profoundly disturbing.
One must commend the courage of the agency that deemed it fit to allow this intelligence to enter the public domain. Transparency, in matters of life and death, is not indiscretion; it is responsibility. By bringing this alert to light, the agency has effectively foreclosed the all-too-familiar theatre of bureaucratic denial and political buck-passing. The luxury of ignorance has now been withdrawn.
The Federal Government is therefore expected , not invited, to immediately deploy adequate military and security assets to Gbabe Community and all adjoining corridors. The time for deployment is now, not after the lamentable issuance of condolence messages drafted in impeccable grammar but stained with avoidable blood.
Permit a modest dose of historical sarcasm: Nigerians have grown weary of the ritualistic press statement , “Security agencies have been directed to go after the perpetrators and bring them to book.” The book, it would seem, is perpetually open, yet rarely read to the final chapter. This time, prevention must precede prose.
As the Igbo proverb wisely instructs: “Osisi anụrụ ụda ya anaghi adagbu mmadụ” -a tree that announces its fall does not kill those who heed its warning. We have heard the sound. The cracking wood is audible. Shall we remain seated beneath it?
Only days ago, while Nigerians mourned the genocidal massacres in Woro, Benue, and parts of Katsina, I cautioned that these soulless merchants of death, having perfected the art of slaughter, would undoubtedly be strategising their next target. Today, the warning has arrived. Providence has granted us foresight. It would be tragic and inexcusable, if foresight degenerates into hindsight.
This culture of timely intelligence disclosure must be institutionalised. Security is not an exclusive preserve of uniforms and titles; it is a collective responsibility. Public alerts ensure accountability. Should tragedy occur despite forewarning, the chain of responsibility will be clearly traceable.
I therefore call upon the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the Executive Governor of Kwara State; the Honourable Minister of Defence; the Inspector-General of Police; the Director-General of the SSS, the Chief of Army Staff; the Director-General of the NIA; and even the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; to take immediate, coordinated, and proactive measures, not merely to thwart this predicted attack, but to decisively dismantle the operational bases of these marauders wherever they may be entrenched.
Innocent citizens must not perpetually live on the defensive within their ancestral lands. Protection of life and property is not an act of governmental charity; it is a constitutional obligation owed to the people who collectively entrusted power to the state.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The DSS, under the firm and responsible leadership of Mr. Ajayi, has sounded the alarm. The burden now shifts to those constitutionally empowered to act.
A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
History, however, will judge the response.
#ActBeforeItIsTooLate
#PreventAnotherMassacre
#SecurityIsAConstitutionalDuty
#ProtectGbabeNow
#ProactiveNotReactive
#NationalSecurityAlert
#EnoughOfCondolences
#AccountabilityInGovernance
#NigeriaDeservesProtection
#BarEjioforWrites
Signed
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq., KSC
(Dunu-Ezeugosinachi)
February 11, 2026