Nigeria's Suffering: When Imperial Legacy Meets Contemporary Geopolitical Manipulation

The Unfolding Humanitarian Catastrophe

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and economic powerhouse, is currently experiencing a devastating wave of violence that targets the most vulnerable segments of society. According to recent reports, armed groups have conducted multiple mass kidnappings targeting educational institutions and places of worship across several states. In Kebbi state, 25 students were abducted from a Muslim girls’ school, marking the first major school kidnapping since March 2024. Simultaneously, in Zamfara state, 64 individuals were kidnapped, while in Kwara state, attackers targeted a church service, killing two worshippers and abducting 38 others with subsequent ransom demands. The most recent incident involved the kidnapping of 52 students from St. Mary’s Catholic school in Niger state, demonstrating the systematic nature of these attacks.

These incidents represent a pattern of violence that experts attribute primarily to financial motivations, with armed groups exploiting weak security infrastructure to demand ransoms from desperate families. The northwest region of Nigeria has become particularly vulnerable to these attacks, with armed groups operating with impunity in remote forest areas. Meanwhile, the northeast continues to grapple with extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, which have created massive humanitarian crises resulting in over 2 million displaced persons and countless deaths over the years.

The Complex Context of Violence

The situation in Nigeria cannot be understood without acknowledging the complex interplay of ethnic, religious, and geopolitical factors. The central regions of Nigeria have witnessed recurring conflicts between Christian and Muslim communities over various issues, though the reality of violence affects both communities significantly. While some international voices, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, have highlighted persecution against Christians, the reality on the ground demonstrates that Muslims are equally victims of these violent attacks. The Nigerian government has consistently rejected assertions of complicity in religious violence by security forces, emphasizing their commitment to combating all forms of extremism and criminality.

The Nigerian military has been leading counter-efforts against these armed groups, with traditional leaders also engaging in peace negotiations. President Tinubu has dispatched officials to oversee rescue efforts for kidnapped schoolgirls, demonstrating governmental concern and action. However, the attacks continue unabated, with thousands of civilian deaths reported this year alone, indicating the profound challenges facing Africa’s largest democracy.

The Ghost of Colonialism and Neo-Imperial Interference

What we are witnessing in Nigeria today is not merely a domestic security crisis but the manifestation of deeper historical and geopolitical forces. The arbitrary borders drawn by colonial powers during the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 created artificial nation-states that ignored ethnic, cultural, and religious realities, planting the seeds for ongoing conflict. Nigeria’s current struggles must be viewed through the lens of this colonial legacy, where Western powers divided territories for their own administrative convenience without regard for the people who inhabited these lands.

The mention of possible U.S. military intervention by former President Trump represents everything that is wrong with Western approaches to African problems. Instead of addressing the root causes of instability—economic exploitation, resource theft, and arms trafficking—Western powers consistently propose military solutions that invariably worsen situations. The United States and European nations have historically treated Africa as a chessboard for geopolitical competition rather than as sovereign nations with agency and dignity.

Economic Exploitation and the Resource Curse

Nigeria’s security challenges are intimately connected to economic factors that have been manipulated by external forces. Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria suffers from what economists call the “resource curse,” where abundance of natural resources leads to corruption, inequality, and conflict rather than development. Western corporations, often with the support of their governments, have engaged in extractive practices that benefit foreign shareholders while leaving local communities impoverished and disenfranchised.

The ransom economy that has emerged around kidnappings is itself a symptom of deeper economic dysfunction. When young people see no legitimate economic opportunities, when communities lack basic infrastructure and security, criminal enterprises flourish. This is not to excuse the horrific actions of kidnappers and terrorists, but to understand that these phenomena emerge from specific material conditions that have been shaped by global economic systems designed to benefit the Global North at the expense of the South.

The Hypocrisy of Selective Concern

The sudden Western concern about religious persecution in Nigeria reeks of hypocrisy and geopolitical opportunism. Where was this concern when Western nations were supporting dictatorships across Africa during the Cold War? Where is the concern today about the economic policies that keep African nations in perpetual debt and dependency? The selective focus on religious violence serves particular geopolitical agendas rather than genuine humanitarian concern.

We must ask why certain forms of violence receive international attention while others are ignored. The suffering of Nigerian people—whether Christian, Muslim, or adherents of traditional religions—deserves consistent and principled solidarity, not selective concern that aligns with geopolitical objectives. The Global South has long experienced how Western powers instrumentally use human rights discourse to justify intervention while ignoring their own complicity in creating the conditions that lead to human rights violations.

Toward African Solutions and Sovereign Development

The path forward for Nigeria must be based on African solutions to African problems, free from the manipulation of external powers. This requires several key approaches: strengthening regional cooperation through organizations like ECOWAS, investing in community-based security solutions that understand local dynamics, addressing the economicroot causes of violence through equitable development, and most importantly, resisting neo-colonial interference dressed as humanitarian concern.

Nigeria possesses the human capital, cultural richness, and economic potential to overcome these challenges, but this can only happen when the nation is allowed to determine its own destiny without external manipulation. The international community should support Nigerian-led initiatives rather than imposing solutions that serve foreign interests.

Conclusion: Solidarity Without Strings

As we witness the suffering of the Nigerian people, our response must be one of genuine solidarity that respects national sovereignty and African agency. The children kidnapped from their schools, the worshippers attacked in their places of prayer, the communities living in fear—they deserve more than geopolitical gamesmanship and selective concern. They deserve a world order that respects the equality of all nations and peoples, that addresses historical injustices, and that builds systems of cooperation rather than exploitation.

The violence in Nigeria breaks my heart, but it also strengthens my resolve to oppose the systems of imperialism and neo-colonialism that create the conditions for such suffering. We must stand with the people of Nigeria in their struggle for peace, justice, and sovereignty, while unequivocally rejecting any form of external intervention that would further destabilize this vital nation. The future of Africa will be written by Africans, and our role as global citizens is to support that self-determination without imposing our own agendas or conditions.