Nigeria is a country that has mastered the art of pretending. We pretend everything is fine. We pretend we are fighting terrorism. We pretend the nation is secure. And most shamefully, we pretend not to see the single most glaring security embarrassment walking freely among us — Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
 
If Nigeria were serious, this man would not be granting interviews; he would be answering questions in detention. If Nigeria were sane, he would not be a celebrity; he would be a suspect. If Nigeria were honest, it would admit that its biggest security threat is not only in the forests — it is sitting comfortably in cities, speaking for terrorists, advocating their interests, and doing so with frightening boldness.

A nation that fears terrorists but fears confronting their spokesman!
 
Let us be clear: no ordinary Nigerian can say 10 per cent of what Gumi says and remain free. He openly pleads the case for terrorists — the same terrorists who decapitate military officers, rape women, butcher farmers, and kidnap children. He tells Nigerians to show sympathy and understanding to those who have turned vast regions of the country into slaughterhouses. 

And what does the government do? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Instead, major media houses roll out red carpets for him. They offer him airtime. They treat him like a “security expert.” They hand him a microphone while families are still burying the victims of the terrorists he romanticises. It is an insult of historic proportions.

The Nigerian state: Lion in the south, chicken in the north! 
When a single incident occurs in the Southeast, the Nigerian military moves like an occupying force. Unknown gunmen? Entire villages are burnt. An officer killed? Armoured tanks appear. Protests? Military operations are launched with dramatic titles. Yet, when terrorists in the North behead a Brigadier General and post the video online, the response becomes strangely diplomatic, timid, and slow. No “Operation Thunderstorm.” No razing of terrorist camps. No decisive onslaught. Why this selective bravery? Why does the state become muscular in the South but suddenly develop fragile joints in the North? This hypocrisy has become too loud to ignore.

Someone is feeding the monster! 
Every day, terrorists acquire sophisticated weapons. Every day, their firepower grows. Every day, they expand their territory and influence. Yet, no one can convincingly explain:
Who transports their weapons? Which supply chain powers their operations? Who handles their finances? Why they move freely through highways under the nose of security agencies?

Nigeria’s security system can track a petty thief using a cheap phone, but somehow cannot locate terrorists who livestream their atrocities, parade in convoys, and stroll into towns to attend ceremonies. Is this incompetence — or collaboration?

The truth is no longer hiding. Terrorism in Nigeria is an industry. It has investors. It has protectors. It has insiders. Its endurance proves what Sani Abacha warned decades ago: If an insurgency lasts beyond 48 hours, someone in government is benefitting.Our own insurgency has lasted thirteen years.

Why is Sheikh Gumi untouchable? 
This is the question security agencies refuse to ask. This is the question the presidency pretends not to hear. This is the question the media tiptoe around. Why is a man who speaks the language of terrorists treated like a statesman? What does he know? Who is he connected to? Who protects him? And why is this country terrified of confronting him? 

His utterances alone constitute sabotage. His advocacy alone is a national security threat. His boldness alone is enough to shake faith in the sincerity of the government’s counterterrorism efforts. If Nigeria truly wants to show seriousness, the first step is simple and symbolic! Arrest Sheikh Gumi. Question him. Investigate his contacts. Freeze his communication channels. Follow the breadcrumbs. But Nigeria will not do it — because Gumi is merely a visible symptom of a deeper rot.
 
A sovereignty that exists only on paper!
Nigeria claims to be sovereign. Really? Terrorists tax communities in Niger, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Kaduna. They run courts. They decide who lives and who dies. They determine which roads are passable. They hold naming ceremonies in broad daylight. They issue threats to military officers — even to the President — and are not afraid of consequences. 

What kind of sovereignty is this? A nation that cannot protect its territory is a country in name only. Nigeria is gradually losing the monopoly of legitimate violence — the first sign of state collapse. Yet its leaders are busy preparing for the 2027 elections, as though terrorists will pause their operations out of respect for democracy.

Enough of the pretence 
Nigeria must stop pretending. We are not fighting terrorism. We are managing it. We are negotiating with it. We are accommodating it. We are enabling it. And some people are profiting from it. Until the security architecture is cleansed of internal collaborators, until the government stops choosing which terrorists to fight and which ones to pamper, Nigeria will continue to bleed. 

And as long as Sheikh Gumi walks free — preaching forgiveness for butchers, lecturing the nation on how to appease killers — Nigeria’s fight against insecurity will remain a tragic joke.
 
Before the fire consumes us all! 
The real danger is not just the terrorists in the forest. It is the silent protection network around them — the politicians, the military insiders, the financiers, and the public advocates who sanitise their crimes. Nigeria cannot survive this level of deceit forever. We must confront the enablers. We must expose the collaborators. We must dismantle the networks.

And we must start with the man who has made himself the unofficial ambassador of Nigerian terrorists.
 
Sheikh Gumi must be stopped — or Nigeria should stop pretending it wants peace. 

Udenka is a social and political analyst and the CEO of Igbo Renaissance Awakening.

He can be reached via: #AfricaVisionAdvancementTrust