The trending latest Lasisi Olagunju’s article raises legitimate concerns about insecurity, kidnapping, terrorism and the failure of the Nigerian state to protect its citizens. The article is by Lasisi Olagunju.

However, it makes a dangerous leap from criticizing criminality to stigmatizing an entire region and, by implication, millions of innocent people.

Crime is not a tribal inheritance. Criminality is not encoded in ethnicity. No region of Nigeria possesses a monopoly on virtue, and no region possesses a monopoly on crime.

When we begin to describe an entire section of the country as “Nigeria’s implacable enemy,” we move away from analysis and enter the territory of collective blame. Such language may generate headlines, but it does little to solve the problems confronting the nation.

The truth is that every region of Nigeria has produced criminals and every region has suffered from criminality. The South has experienced cult violence, political thuggery, oil theft, armed robbery, cybercrime, ritual killings and separatist violence. The North has suffered terrorism, banditry and insurgency. The victims of these crimes are often the very people who are unfairly blamed for them.

The overwhelming majority of Northerners are not terrorists. They are among the primary victims of terrorism. Thousands have lost their lives, livelihoods and communities to the violence that has ravaged parts of the region. To portray the North itself as the enemy is to punish victims alongside perpetrators.

More importantly, before condemning those who commit crimes, we must honestly examine the conditions that make criminality flourish. Banditry, insurgency and kidnapping do not emerge in a vacuum. They thrive where governments fail, where poverty is widespread, where educational opportunities are absent, where justice is selective, where communities feel excluded from national prosperity, and where political leaders manipulate divisions for personal gain.

Nigeria’s security crisis is therefore not simply a Northern problem; it is fundamentally a governance problem.

For decades, successive governments at federal, state and local levels have failed to provide quality education, create jobs, secure communities, strengthen institutions and build trust between citizens and the state. In many areas, criminal groups have stepped into spaces abandoned by government. That failure belongs not to a tribe but to those entrusted with leadership.

If a child grows up without education, without opportunity and without hope, society should not be surprised when criminal networks recruit him. If communities feel neglected and alienated for generations, instability becomes easier to ignite. These are not excuses for crime; they are explanations that must be understood if solutions are to be found.

Nigeria does not need more regional blame. It needs more national introspection.

The challenge before us is not to identify which tribe is guilty, but to understand why our institutions continue to fail. It is not to stigmatize entire populations, but to hold accountable those who profit from insecurity, corruption, exclusion and bad governance.

The path forward lies in justice, education, economic opportunity, inclusion and competent leadership. It lies in strengthening the state so that no criminal group, whether in the North, South, East or West, can operate with impunity.

A nation as diverse as Nigeria cannot survive if its citizens are encouraged to see one another as enemies. We should confront criminals without criminalizing regions. We should fight insecurity without deepening division. And we should remember that when one part of Nigeria suffers, the entire nation bleeds.

Nigeria’s problem is not the North. Nigeria’s problem is the persistent failure of governance that allows criminals, regardless of tribe or region, to flourish.

Ambassador Mohammed Jameel Abubakar-Waziri

EDITORIAL NOTE:

Nigeria can benefit from the approach adopted in many established democracies, where criminal acts are attributed to individuals and criminal networks rather than entire ethnic, regional or religious communities.

In countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, responsible reporting generally distinguishes criminals from the millions of law-abiding citizens who may share similar backgrounds. This helps prevent division, protects social cohesion and ensures attention remains focused on those responsible for crimes.

Nigeria’s security challenges are best addressed by identifying and prosecuting perpetrators, dismantling criminal networks, strengthening institutions and improving governance rather than assigning collective blame to entire regions or communities.

As a diverse nation, Nigeria must remain careful not to criminalise populations while confronting criminality. Our focus should be on justice, accountability, national unity and effective solutions that make every part of the country safer.

Criminals should be punished. Communities should not be profiled.