The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, has stated that only divine intervention can ultimately bring an end to Nigeria’s lingering security challenges, even as he called on citizens to continue supporting the efforts of government and security agencies.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, the minister acknowledged that insecurity remains a pressing national problem requiring collective action from both security forces and ordinary Nigerians. He emphasized that it is only God that can bring an end to the insecurity, alongside collective prayers and efforts, stressing that the issue should not be used as a tool to condemn others or score political points.

His remarks come against the backdrop of a renewed wave of violence and abductions across the country. Recent attacks include gunmen storming three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and abducting 39 students and seven teachers, as well as armed groups attacking schools in Mussa, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, where 42 pupils were taken. These incidents, among a string of others, have displaced many Nigerians from their ancestral communities and intensified public anger over the government’s handling of security.

Matawalle used the opportunity to caution politicians against exploiting the crisis for political gain. He urged the opposition to stop using insecurity to incite the public, describing it as a challenge that could affect anyone, and noted that no Nigerian takes pleasure in the situation.

He further lamented that some members of the opposition appear content with the crisis because it allows them to portray the government as a failure for their own political interests, while deceiving citizens into believing they alone hold the solution.

The minister’s comments are likely to draw mixed reactions, particularly amid ongoing protests in Abuja and other parts of the country where demonstrators have been demanding more decisive government action on insecurity.

His framing of the crisis as one requiring spiritual intervention alongside human effort places him at odds with critics who argue that stronger operational and policy responses, rather than appeals to faith, are needed to address the scale of banditry, kidnappings, and killings ravaging several states.

As the debate continues, the Tinubu administration faces mounting pressure to demonstrate tangible progress on security, especially with the unresolved abductions in Oyo and Borno states continuing to dominate national discourse.