By Idowu Ephraim Faleye+2348132100608
When a figure like Chief Sunday Igboho steps forward to confront terrorism in Yorubaland, it is easy to see it as bold and heroic. But this is not activism or a political movement but a complex gorilla warfare. And war does not reward noise. It rewards strategy. Many people miss this point, and that misunderstanding can be dangerous.
The first mistake is underestimating the threat. Terrorists are not random criminals hiding in forests. They are trained in warfare, tested in battle, and familiar with coordinated attacks. They understand ambush, movement, and intelligence gathering. They operate with discipline and intent. Many of them have handled sophisticated weapons for years, making them far more dangerous than they appear.
We have seen situations where military formations were ambushed and overrun. Trained officers, including those who passed through top military institutions, have been captured or killed. Police stations have been attacked and weapons taken. These are not isolated incidents. They show a pattern. When trained forces struggle against such threats, it tells us clearly that this is not a fight for enthusiasm. It is a fight for competence and structure.
Courage alone is not enough. Passion is not a strategy. A group may be willing to defend its people, but without planning and coordination, it becomes vulnerable.
Another issue is about his strategy which he publicly announced—that his security outfit will capture terrorists alive and hand them over to law enforcement. On the surface, it may sound lawful and orderly, but in reality, it is highly risky. These are not ordinary criminals; they are individuals ready to kill and ready to die, often driven by strong beliefs about rewards in the afterlife.
They have already taken countless lives without hesitation. Trying to capture such people by hand puts operatives in extreme danger, because hesitation in a life-or-death moment can be fatal. From a practical standpoint, this raises hard questions about value and risk, especially when it exposes personnel to unnecessary harm. It also adds pressure to an already stretched detention facilities that are congested and the government continues to bear the cost of feeding inmates. If this remains the strategy, it puts lives at serious risk.
There is also the issue of belief in black magic as protection. In almost every African ethnic groups, there is confidence that spiritual power can shield fighters from bullets. While belief has always played a role in conflict, it cannot replace physical reality. Even if bullets do not penetrate, a person can still be ambushed, captured, overpowered by huge numbers, and killed with heavy objects. War is physical before it is spiritual. Relying on black magic as a primary defense creates a false sense of security and shifts focus away from what truly matters—planning, surveillance, and execution.
Modern warfare is built on information. It is not just about who shoots first, but who sees first. Surveillance is the backbone of any serious security operation. It involves intelligence gathering, tracking movement, and understanding patterns. It means knowing where threats are before they act. Without this, any operation is blind.
This is where tools like drones become important. A drone is more than a camera. It is an intelligence asset that can monitor terrain, detect movement, and provide real-time information. Imagine a situation where a planned attack is detected early through surveillance. That changes everything. Instead of reacting after damage is done, forces can intercept before it happens. That is the difference between prevention and reaction.
Data also plays a key role here. When incidents are tracked over time, patterns begin to appear. Certain locations become hotspots. Certain times become more dangerous. Certain methods become predictable. With this information, decision-making improves. Personnel can be deployed more effectively, and responses can be faster. This is how modern security systems operate—on data, not guesswork.
Another critical issue is exposure. In security operations, too much visibility can be dangerous. When plans are announced publicly, when movements are discussed openly, the element of surprise is lost. And surprise is one of the strongest advantages in warfare. A serious operation should not look like a campaign jamboree. It should be quiet, focused, and controlled.
This is why covert assignment is important. The less your enemy knows about your plans, the stronger your position. When operations are kept confidential, they become more effective. When everything is public, it creates room for leaks and counteractions. In warfare, information leaks can cost lives.
This is also where communication must be structured. A proper security outfit should not have multiple voices speaking at once, or the head speaking always, so as not to spill classified information. There should be a spokesperson responsible for all public communication. This protects sensitive information and ensures consistency. It also aligns with global best practices used by all military and intelligence agencies. When communication is controlled, operations remain secure.
Looking at existing security structures, even formal institutions face challenges. The military and police have struggled in some cases against these threats. Regional outfits like Amotekun have made efforts, but there are few known cases where Amotekun Security Network have directly defeated heavily armed terrorists in full combat. Most successes come from interception or smaller operations. This reflects the scale of the challenge.
Expecting any loosely organized group to succeed without deep planning and resources is unrealistic. Fighting terrorists holding sophisticated weapons requires training, coordination, and long-term strategy. It requires systems, not just people or jass. It requires structure, not just intention.
The reality is simple. Insecurity cannot be solved with ancient methods. Modern threats require modern responses. Ancient tactics cannot defeat contemporary warfare. Loud declarations cannot replace planning. Emotional energy cannot substitute discipline.
If Chief Sunday Igboho is serious about this mission, then the approach must shift. This is not about quick mobilization. It is about building a system. It is about understanding that warfare is a process, not an event. It is about accepting that visibility is not victory.
Terrorism is not defeated by force alone. It is defeated by intelligence, coordination, and discipline. It is defeated by systems that are smarter and more organized. Strategy must come before action. Planning must guide movement. Data must inform decisions.
In the end, the difference is clear. One path leads to noise, exposure, and risk. The other leads to control, precision, and effectiveness. If strategy replaces noise and intelligence guides action, then there is a real chance of success. But if not, even the strongest intentions will fall short. And in a war like this, the cost of getting it wrong is far too high.
*Idowu Ephraim Faleye is a freelance writer +2348132100608*
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