Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has expressed deep concern over reports that armed jihadist militants descended on villages in Adamawa State in a brutal nocturnal assault that left no fewer than twenty-seven Christians dead.
In a statement titled “Weekend Musing: ‘Convert to Islam, Pay the Levy, or Abandon Your Ancestral Land’: Jihadist Terrorists Declare in Adamawa When Terrorists Issue Tax Notices and the State Appears on Administrative Leave,” Ejiofor lamented what he described as a disturbing situation in which terrorism appears to be assuming the role of a tax authority in some parts of Nigeria.
He described it as deeply troubling that bandits could reportedly issue ultimatums to indigenous Christian communities in Adamawa State, demanding that they convert to Islam, pay a religious levy imposed by the militants, or vacate their ancestral lands.
According to him, the Christian inhabitants were warned that they must either convert to Islam, comply with the imposed levy, or permanently abandon the communities their forefathers had inhabited for generations.
Ejiofor further stated that, most worrisome was the fact that the terrorists allegedly carried out their threats barely two nights ago, killing several residents as well as military personnel.
He noted that the incident represents yet another grim chapter in the unfolding tragedy across Nigeria’s North-East, where insurgent groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, jihadist bandits, and other allied militant factions continue to expand their theatre of terror with alarming boldness.
“Residents and soldiers were killed. Homes were set ablaze. More than one hundred civilians, mostly women and children, were abducted,” he said.
He added that as traumatised survivors in Madagali fled their homes and began counting their human and material losses, another disturbing report emerged almost simultaneously from Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Ejiofor who is Dunu-Ezeugosinachi also pointed to another dimension of the unfolding crisis, noting that the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria recently alleged that Iran plays a significant role in the proliferation of arms and the sponsorship of jihadist terrorist activities in parts of Africa.
According to him, if such intelligence carries even a fraction of truth, Nigeria’s security establishment must treat the matter with the seriousness it deserves.
The statement reads in full:
WEEKEND MUSING
“CONVERT TO ISLAM,
PAY THE LEVY,
OR ABANDON YOUR ANCESTRAL LAND”:
JIHADIST TERRORISTS DECLARE IN ADAMAWA
WHEN TERRORISTS ISSUE TAX NOTICES AND THE STATE APPEARS ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE
Such was the chilling ultimatum delivered to Christian residents of Kirchinga and Garaha communities in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, shortly before armed jihadist militants descended upon the villages in a brutal nocturnal assault that left not fewer than twenty-seven Christians slaughtered.
It would appear that, in certain parts of our republic, terrorism has now acquired the bureaucratic elegance of a tax authority. One merely receives a notice: convert, pay, or vacate. Compliance is optional; survival, unfortunately, is not.
The attack, which occurred barely two nights ago, marks yet another grim chapter in the steadily unfolding tragedy across Nigeria’s North-East, where insurgent groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, jihadist bandits, and allied militant factions continue to expand their theatre of terror with alarming audacity.
Residents recount that the terrorists did not merely attack; they issued instructions.
The Christian inhabitants were warned that they must either convert to Islam, pay a religious levy imposed by the militants, or permanently abandon the communities their forefathers had inhabited for generations.
In other words, the victims were courteously offered three choices: apostasy, taxation, or exile.
The language may differ, but history recognises this script all too well.
As the traumatised survivors of Madagali fled their homes and counted their losses, both human and material, another disturbing report emerged almost simultaneously from Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
There, armed fighters linked to Boko Haram and ISWAP reportedly stormed the settlement in large numbers, overwhelming a military position before sweeping into the town. The consequences were devastating.
Residents and soldiers were killed.
Homes were set ablaze.
And over one hundred civilians, mostly women and children, were abducted.
Thousands fled in terror, seeking refuge in neighbouring communities such as Pulka.
One must pause here to ask a question that has become painfully routine in Nigeria:
How does such a large force of insurgents mobilise, travel across territories, overwhelm a military position, abduct over one hundred civilians, and disappear into the night, apparently without prior detection?
This is not merely a tactical question.
It is a national one.
What makes these attacks particularly disturbing is not only their brutality but their scale, coordination, and confidence. Large columns of armed fighters move across vast terrains. Entire communities are invaded. Civilians are abducted in their hundreds. Yet the attacks often appear to occur with a curious degree of operational freedom.
It is a paradox Nigerians have grown accustomed to witnessing: the insurgents seem to possess remarkable mobility, while the state appears perpetually engaged in the post-event ritual of condemnation.
The question therefore persists:
How do these large armed formations assemble and move across vulnerable communities without early interception?
Until this question is confronted with sincerity and urgency, the nation may continue to witness tragedies that have become disturbingly predictable.
AN INTERNATIONAL WARNING
Adding another dimension to the unfolding crisis, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria recently revealed that Iran plays a significant role in the proliferation of arms and the sponsorship of jihadist terrorist activities across parts of Africa.
If such intelligence carries even a fraction of truth, then Nigeria’s security establishment must treat the matter with the seriousness it deserves.
Because if external actors are indeed fuelling insurgent violence within our borders, then the challenge confronting Nigeria is not merely insurgency. It is proxy warfare by other means.
What was once described as sporadic insurgency now increasingly resembles territorial intimidation and ideological domination.
For the communities of the North-East, the crisis has moved far beyond a security problem. It has become a daily test of the fundamental purpose of the state: the protection of its citizens.
Until that duty is discharged with clarity, competence, and resolve, Nigerians will continue to ask a question that grows louder with each tragedy:
Who truly controls the night in these territories: the state, or the insurgents?
