Christian leaders and security analysts warn Nigeria is becoming desensitized to mass terror
By Mary Kiara
(Oyo State) – Four days after Islamic terrorists’ beheaded a Mathematics teacher in southwestern Nigeria, his family is pleading for dignity after execution footage spread online, exposing Nigeria’s deepening normalization of terror.
The appeal followed the May 15 attack on schools and nearby communities in Oriire County, Oyo State, where terrorists abducted 39 pupils and 7 teachers during coordinated raids.
For many Nigerians, the killing of teacher Michael Oyedokun was horrifying enough, but relatives say the continued circulation of graphic videos showing his final moments has intensified the trauma for his children and extended family.
“Please we sincerely appeal to the public and media platforms to kindly reduce or stop sharing the graphic videos and pictures of our beloved uncle,” the family said in a May 19 statement obtained by TruthNigeria.
“His children are currently writing their exams, and it has been extremely difficult emotionally for them,” the statement added.
The family urged journalists and social media users to blur sensitive visuals or use only officially released family photographs.
A National Security Failure
Beyond the family’s grief, the Oyo attack has become a symbol of what religious leaders and security analysts describe as Nigeria’s widening security collapse.
“This is a national disgrace and a frightening reminder that organized criminal violence is spreading into parts of the country once considered relatively secure,” Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Daniel Okoh told TruthNigeria.
“When children are hunted in their classrooms, silence becomes complicity and delay becomes dangerous,” Okoh said.
The attack shocked many residents of southwestern Nigeria who had long viewed large-scale school abductions as a crisis largely confined to the North-East and North-West, regions devastated for years by Boko Haram insurgents, and jihadist violence.
But recent attacks suggest those tactics are spreading southward.
TruthNigeria’s reports documented multiple major attacks this month alone, including the abduction of schoolchildren in Borno State, coordinated killings in Plateau State and a deadly assault on a Nigerian military training facility in Yobe State.
The Oyo attack now appears to many analysts as part of a broader national pattern rather than an isolated incident.
‘The Same Brutality Has Crossed the Niger’
“This is not merely a heinous crime; it is a direct attack on the future of our nation,” Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria President Francis Wale Oke told TruthNigeria in a statement.
“The same brutality once confined to the North has crossed the Niger.”
Oke described Oyedokun’s killing as “a stain on our national conscience” and accused authorities of responding to repeated attacks with “promises without protection.”
Family members of the slain teacher also publicly criticized the government’s response.
“Your killers are still walking free,” family member Olaoluwa Oyedokun wrote in a public statement directed at Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
“This is 2026, Mr Governor! You have to be intentional and proactive about protecting the lives of citizens,” he wrote, questioning why drones and surveillance technologies were not deployed more aggressively.
Fear of Normalized Terror
Security analysts and Christian leaders told TruthNigeria the deeper danger may be societal desensitization to violence.
“The attacks are happening every single day and people are becoming numb to it,” Antonio Graceffo, a former U.S. military officer and missionary journalist, told TruthNigeria in a statement.
“It is horrible that people can be killed and it becomes normal because it happened yesterday or the day before,” he said.
“The only way to successfully blunt this wave of insurgency is by establishing State Police and heavily decentralizing intelligence to local traditional rulers who know their domains intimately,” Fatai Owoseni, retired Police Commissioner told TruthNigeria.
Retired journalist Anuhe Aba said many southern communities mistakenly assumed the insurgency devastating northern Nigeria could never spread into Yoruba-majority states.
“But criminality does not respect regional boundaries, ethnic identities, or political assumptions,” Aba told TruthNigeria.
“The South-West still has the opportunity to stop this trend before it becomes deeply rooted,” he warned.
Pressure Builds on Nigerian Authorities
Religious leaders increasingly argue that Nigeria’s government has failed to match the scale of the crisis.
“We are past the time for promises,” Oke said. “Actions that will sweep away insurgency are what Nigerians want.”
Northern CAN Chairman Joseph Hayab similarly warned that citizens were exhausted by recurring kidnappings, killings and official reassurances that rarely translated into improved security.
“Our simple appeal is that the government should bring to an end this evil of kidnapping and killing,” Hayab told TruthNigeria. “We have what it takes to stop this. We are challenging leaders to have the will.”
Terrorism’s Emotional Toll
“A threat to a child in Ahoro-Esinele is a threat to a child in Abeokuta, Enugu, Katsina, and every community in Nigeria,” Bishop Oke warned. “The enemy has declared that no classroom is sacred.”
For Oyedokun’s family, however, the national debate over terrorism, security reform and political accountability remains painfully personal.
“We want to see the remains of our uncle, we want ACTION!” his family members have demanded.
Mary Kiara reports on terrorism for TruthNigeria.
