The violence spreading across Nigeria — from the North to the Middle Belt — is not just a crisis of insecurity; it is a carefully orchestrated economic war. Behind the façade of ethnic conflict and banditry lies a deeper, darker agenda — the systematic displacement of farmers and rural dwellers to pave the way for illegal mining and land acquisition.
Our top politicians, in alliance with foreign interests, have weaponized bandits, herdsmen, and communal crises as tools of silent conquest. These forces are strategically used to drive farmers away from their ancestral lands, leaving behind territories rich in gold, lithium, coal, and other precious minerals. Once the land is deserted and fear dominates the landscape, the real mission begins — massive extraction of mineral deposits under the cover of insecurity.
China’s growing influence has turned Nigeria into an industrial corridor, with local elites acting as economic proxies. The chaos we see is not accidental; it follows an economic logic of exploitation. While innocent Nigerians bleed and flee, the powerful enrich themselves through secret mining deals that never reach the national treasury.
This is not just a national security crisis — it is a national betrayal. The blood of the innocent is being exchanged for contracts, concessions, and foreign favors.
The time has come for the Nigerian youth, civil society, and patriotic leaders to rise and expose this hidden war. Until we reclaim our land and our economic sovereignty, peace will remain an illusion and development a distant dream.
– Edison Atumeyi Edime
Political Analyst and Youth Advocate
