Former Senator Shehu Sani has urged Northern Nigerians to take personal responsibility for their safety amid escalating banditry and terrorism, describing these challenges as defining threats to contemporary Nigeria.

Sani made the remarks in Abuja on Wednesday during the public launch of his two books, The Perilous Path to Europe and The Councillor, alongside his new stageplay, The Village and the Vigilante. He described the works as a literary intervention aimed at mobilizing rural communities in the North-West and North-East to protect their ancestral lands from repeated attacks.

Highlighting the persistent threat from armed groups including ISWAP, Boko Haram, and Ansaru, Sani noted their attacks have resulted in kidnappings, killings, extortion, village destruction, school closures, and displacement of millions. Farmers, commuters, traditional rulers, students, and journalists have all been targeted.

“Where there is an apparent failure of the state to provide security, people must understand that their safety also lies in their own hands. No foreign power will solve our problems for us,” Sani said.

The stageplay will be performed in Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and North-Eastern states affected by insurgency, as part of a monthly theatrical initiative aimed at inspiring hope and collective responsibility. He emphasized the importance of community cooperation and local intelligence in dismantling criminal networks, warning that informants feeding criminals exacerbate insecurity.

Speaking on his books, Sani highlighted the dangers of irregular migration, documenting perilous journeys by young Africans across the Sahara and the Mediterranean in search of better opportunities. Many fall victim to human trafficking, forced labor, enslavement in Libya, or death at sea.

“This is a message to African leaders: create opportunities at home so youth can live dignified lives without risking death abroad. And to our youth: there is no guaranteed paradise in Europe,” he said.

Sani also criticized Nigeria’s security system, questioning how kidnappers use registered SIM cards to negotiate multi-million naira ransoms without being traced, despite extensive SIM registration and arms procurement. He called for greater transparency, accountability, and alignment between citizens and security agencies to end violence.

“Banditry and terrorism are challenges of our time. Confronting them requires co