He described the works as a literary intervention aimed at mobilising rural communities, particularly in the North-West and North-East, to safeguard their ancestral lands from years of violent attacks.
Former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has described banditry and terrorism as defining challenges of contemporary Nigeria, calling for stronger community vigilance and greater accountability amid what he termed persistent failures in the nation’s security framework.
Sani made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja during the public presentation of his two books, The Perilous Path to Europe and The Councillor, as well as his new stageplay, The Village and the Vigilante.
He described the works as a literary intervention aimed at mobilising rural communities, particularly in the North-West and North-East, to safeguard their ancestral lands from years of violent attacks.
He noted that armed groups operating under various names, including ISWAP, Boko Haram, Ansaru, and other factions, have killed, kidnapped, and extorted innocent citizens, destroyed villages and schools, displaced millions, and targeted farmers, commuters, traditional rulers, students, and journalists.
“The idea of this play is to inspire hope and collective responsibility,” Sani said.
“Where there is an apparent failure of the state to provide security, people must understand that their safety also lies in their own hands. No foreign power will solve our problems for us.”
He revealed that the stageplay will be performed in states most affected by banditry, Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto, as well as in parts of the North-East impacted by insurgency.
Sani added that the production is part of a series of theatrical performances scheduled to take place monthly across the country through the end of the year.
He emphasized the crucial role of community cooperation in addressing insecurity, noting that local intelligence is vital for dismantling criminal networks.
“Informants who feed criminals with information are part of the problem,” he said, adding that community accountability is essential to restoring peace.
Speaking further on his two books, The Perilous Path to Europe and The Councillor, which explore the socio-economic implications of unbridled and irregular migration, Sani said the works document the dangerous journeys undertaken by young Africans across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in search of opportunities in Europe.
The author explained that the books are based on extensive research into human trafficking networks that lure young people with false promises, only for many to end up enslaved in Libya, subjected to racial discrimination, forced into criminal activities, or drowned at sea in unsafe boats.
The narratives span Nigeria, Ghana, and other West and East African countries.
“This is a message to African leaders to wake up to reality,” he said. “They must create opportunities at home so young people can live dignified lives without risking death abroad. It is also a message to our youth that there is no guaranteed paradise in Europe.”
Responding to questions on alleged compromise within Nigeria’s security system, Sani expressed concern over what he described as systemic failures.
He questioned how kidnappers are able to use registered SIM cards to negotiate ransoms worth millions of naira without being traced, despite the huge sums spent on SIM registration.
“There are questions we have not answered,” he said. “Ransoms are paid, negotiations happen, yet arrests are rare. When governments attempt dialogue with criminals who have killed and terrorised communities, trust becomes impossible.”
He called for greater transparency and effectiveness within the security agencies, noting that enormous public funds have been allocated to arms procurement over the past 15 years without decisive results.
“It is not wrong to say there is failure, compromise and even conspiracy in some quarters,” he said, while emphasising the need for closer alignment between citizens and security agencies to end the violence.
Sani concluded that banditry and terrorism are challenges of Nigeria’s time and civilisation, insisting that confronting them requires courage, honesty and collective action from both the state and the people.