Osama Bin Laden was a case for America. He was a pain in the neck.Their number one enemy. For years, he inflicted terror and grief on the American government and her people. So, when US forces finally captured and killed him, and had him buried at sea, it was not just a military victory- it was a national exorcism.
I remember flipping between CNN and Fox News that day as Americans poured into the streets, chanting “America, America, America,” after President Barack Obama announced Bin Laden’s death. That collective outburst was not just celebration, it was a signal to the world that Americans were united and would not allow their enemies succeed.
Last week, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu announced the arrest of Mahmud Muhammad Usman, leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru sect, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, leader of the Mahmuda militant group. According to the NSA, these men have long been wanted internationally for coordinating brutal attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure.
This is no small feat. This is Nigeria’s “Bin Laden moment.” Yet, we let it slip past like an evening breeze. No national address. No deliberate attempt to turn this into a morale booster for our people. For years, we have been flogged by the whip of terrorism with our villages burned, our soldiers ambushed, our children kidnapped. Surely, we deserve the dignity of savoring a win
A short Presidential broadcast would have sufficed, both to reassure Nigerians and to send a chilling message to the remnants of these terrorists. Silence in moments of triumph only emboldens those hiding in the shadows.
Make no mistake, this is a big win. But our fight is far from over. Security agencies must now be armed not just with weapons, but with the political will, funding, and intelligence network required to sustain this onslaught. Already, reports suggest some of these terrorists are considering surrender. That is good but let us not be naïve. The fish may be dead, but its eyes are still watching. A terrorist who lays down his weapon today may still be plotting tomorrow.
And so, I say, we cannot afford to let off the gas. We must pursue this campaign with the single-mindedness of a farmer chasing locusts from his field- if you leave a few behind, your harvest will still perish.
In the end, the real victory will not be when a few leaders are arrested, but when the ordinary Nigerian can travel from Maiduguri to Makurdi, from Zamfara to Zuba, without fear of being snatched or slaughtered.
Until then, every win must be celebrated, not just for symbolism, but for the psychological warfare it wages against those who dare to terrorize us.
Chiechefulam Ikebuiro,
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