Dr. Evans Woherem, an award-winning African technology researcher, has released a comprehensive strategy aimed at tackling terrorism, banditry, and violent crime in Nigeria, warning that the country’s prolonged insecurity has reached a critical stage requiring urgent and coordinated action.

The white paper, titled “A Comprehensive Strategy for Ending Terrorism, Banditry, and Criminal Violence in Nigeria: A Pragmatic, Multi-Layered, and Implementable Framework,” proposes a holistic roadmap to reverse over a decade of escalating violence, which has claimed thousands of lives, displaced communities, disrupted economic activities, and undermined public confidence in governance.

According to Woherem, insecurity has become deeply embedded in daily life across the country.

“Terrorism, banditry, and criminal violence have become so commonplace that they dominate daily conversations among Nigerians,” he said, noting that while the crisis is most severe in the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions, its effects are now being felt nationwide.

Citing the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, which ranks Nigeria sixth globally in terms of terrorism impact, Woherem said the statistic is “a sobering confirmation that terrorism still weighs heavily on the Nigerian state.”

The paper traces the roots of the crisis to the rise of Boko Haram in 2009 and splinter groups like ISWAP, recalling incidents such as the Chibok, Dapchi, and Kankara school kidnappings, and a surge in abductions and attacks on schools and places of worship in 2025. Banditry, often driven by ransom payments, he noted, “has spread nationwide, creating fear, weakening productivity, and deepening poverty for millions of households.”

While acknowledging the role of military action, Woherem stressed that force alone cannot defeat insurgency. “Any sustainable solution must address the internal conditions that allow insecurity to thrive,” he said, identifying porous borders, arms proliferation, youth unemployment, economic stagnation, and resource conflicts as key drivers.

The framework calls for a deliberate, intelligence-led, whole-of-society approach, including:

• Establishing a National Counter-Insurgency and Intelligence Fusion Centre
• Policing reforms with constitutionally backed state police and regulated community-based security groups
• Enhanced regional cooperation on border security, especially in the Lake Chad Basin
• Economic inclusion, youth employment, and deradicalisation programs
• Strengthened governance and accountability in the security sector

Woherem outlined a phased implementation plan from 2025 to 2030, concluding that Nigeria can overcome insecurity through political will, coordinated institutions, and active societal participation, offering a “realistic pathway to restoring security, rebuilding public trust, and unlocking Nigeria’s human and economic potential.”