Why Context Still Matters in Nigeria’s Insecurity Crisis

Nigeria’s insecurity affects all regions and faiths, regardless of tribe or religion.

There is a growing frustration in Nigeria over how violence is described, framed, and explained across different regions of the country. Many argue that crime and terror have no tribe or religion, and that applying different labels to similar acts deepens division and weakens national unity.

That concern is valid. But there is also a risk of swinging too far in the opposite direction, where every form of violence is flattened into a single label, stripped of context, history, and motive. When this happens, understanding suffers, and so does effective response.

The uncomfortable truth is this: context matters, not to excuse violence, but to confront it properly.

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Not All Violence Comes From the Same Roots

Nigeria’s insecurity problem is not one single phenomenon. It is a collection of crises with diverse origins, even when their outcomes look similar. Some groups are driven by:

• ideological extremism
• separatist grievances
• criminal opportunism
• political manipulation
• economic desperation

Lumping all these under one label may feel morally satisfying, but it risks oversimplifying a complex problem that requires targeted solutions. Understanding why violence happens is not the same as justifying it. It is a necessary step toward ending it.

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Religion as a Tool, Not Always the Cause

It is true that some armed groups deliberately hide under religious banners. But it is also true that religion can be a mobilising tool rather than the root cause of violence. In some cases, religion is used to:

• recruit followers
• legitimise brutality
• attract international attention
• provoke retaliation and fear

Acknowledging this does not mean accusing an entire faith. It means recognising how belief systems are manipulated by violent actors. Ignoring this dimension entirely, in the name of neutrality, can make counter-terrorism strategies blind to how these groups actually operate.

Also read: Crime and Terror Have No Tribe or Religion: Nigeria Must Stop the Double Standards.

Also read: When Naming Everything Terror Blinds Us: Why Context Still Matters in Nigeria’s Insecurity Crisis

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Why Media Language Sometimes Changes Across Regions

Media framing is often criticised as selective or biased, but it is also shaped by uncertainty and risk, and in many cases:

• The perpetrators are genuinely unknown
• intelligence is incomplete
• Investigations are ongoing
• premature labeling could inflame tensions

Using terms like “unknown gunmen” may reflect caution rather than conspiracy. It may be an attempt to avoid worsening an already fragile situation, especially in regions with a history of communal violence. While this caution can be frustrating, it still doesn't mean it's not always malicious.

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The Danger of Moral Absolutism

There is a temptation to treat all violence as identical in moral and descriptive terms. But doing so can lead to moral absolutism, where nuance is dismissed as weakness and analysis is mistaken for sympathy. The reality is that:

• Some groups seek territorial control
• Some seek ideological dominance
• Some seek economic gain
• Some are fragmented criminal networks

Effective solutions depend on recognising these differences. A one-size-fits-all label may satisfy public anger, but it rarely leads to effective policy.

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Victims Deserve Justice, Not Just Labels

Focusing too heavily on naming can sometimes overshadow the real issue: justice for victims. Families who lose loved ones are less concerned about terminology than about:

• arrests
• prosecutions
• accountability
• prevention of repeat attacks

Whether an attacker is called a terrorist, insurgent, criminal, militant, or unknown gunmen, the state’s failure remains the same if justice is not delivered.

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Unity Requires Precision, Not Simplification

National unity is not built by pretending all problems are the same. It is built by confronting each problem honestly and addressing it with the tools it requires. Precision in language can:

• improve public understanding
• guide better security responses
• prevent escalation
• protect innocent communities from collective blame

Blanket terms may feel fair, but they can also hide essential differences that matter for peace-building.

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A Balanced Way Forward

Nigeria needs two things at the same time:

1. Consistency in condemning violence against civilians, regardless of region or identity
2. Precision in understanding and responding to different forms of insecurity

Rejecting double standards does not require abandoning context. It needs to apply the same moral seriousness while still recognising the distinct nature of each conflict.

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Violence against innocent Nigerians is always wrong. That much is not up for debate. But clarity, not slogans, is what ends violence. If Nigeria wants to defeat insecurity, it must resist both selective outrage and careless simplification. Justice demands fairness, but security demands understanding.

Can we confront terror consistently without losing the context needed to stop it, or are we choosing moral comfort over effective solutions?

Related reading on Streaming Naija:
Crime and Terror Have No Tribe or Religion: Nigeria Must Stop the Double Standards

And its counterpoint:
When Naming Everything Terror Blinds Us: Why Context Still Matters in Nigeria’s Insecurity Crisis