When these words, 'guns-a-blazing,' got off media platforms in the early days of November 2025. It quickly spread like a wildfire; there were concerns, anxiety, motions, and counter motions. Where exactly will the guns blaze, to what extent will the guns blaze, and who and what will pass forever by the blazing guns?

Precisely on the 1st of November, 2025, the President of the United States of America, out of concern for humanity, value for religious tolerance, and the need for accountability, cautioned the terrorist groups in Nigeria, advising them to stay put or welcome the wrath of the United States military. He urged the Nigerian government to do the needful to protect the Christians and other vulnerable groups being massacred by terrorists, or give way to allow the Americans to curb and possibly annihilate the terrorist operations.

It's no longer news that terrorist groups of different shades, names, and structures have been ravaging Nigeria. It’s been as long as, if not longer than, a decade. It started with a group known as "Boko Haram," meaning education is forbidden… a group formed in 2002 in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, Nigeria, by Mohammed Yusuf.

They came with the ideology that Western education is alien to Islamic practice and therefore, every form or trace of Western education must be wiped out. They started with killing and abducting middle and high school students.

The Chibok incident comes to mind. The Chibok incident is the abduction of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in a Government Girls Secondary School at Chibok, a town in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria, on the night of April 14-15, 2014, during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to reports, the president did everything within his reach and as allowed by law to get back the Chibok girls from captivity, but all ended in futility. Over the years, some girls escaped or were rescued through the Nigerian Army operations and negotiated release (often involving prisoner swaps). As of today, more than 100 girls have been freed, but many remain missing.

This one incident was part of what made President Jonathan lose his 2nd term election. As a matter of fact, many voted for Buhari, believing he would do better than Jonathan in handling the terrorist activity. This was because Buhari was a retired military general. He has a strong followership and control in the North, where the violent activities are taking place, and very importantly, many said he was not corrupt, and at the same time, he was a very disciplined, gentle man.

All of these and even more propelled the late Gen. Buhari as the new bride and messiah of many Nigerians at that time. I can still remember the mantra during that election cycle was Sai Buhari. It was no surprise when he won the election.

Expectations were high; many looked towards a miracle taking place, that probably three months after Buhari’s inauguration, terrorism and banditry would be a forgotten issue. Alas... just as the Bible says, hope deferred makes the heart sick. Months passed, years went by, and the expected result was just the opposite. As a matter of deep concern, it became even worse. So bad that the operations of these groups became more tactical, clinical, and devastating.

They acted with so much precision and boldness that you will wonder if they had the nation as hostage. The cries grew louder, and blood spilled on a per-minute basis. The government invested billions in the military; the more they invested, the worse the situation became. Service chiefs were reshuffled, changed, and even sacked, yet the status quo remained. So was the painful scenario all through Buhari’s reign.

And come 2023. Another election that brought in the incumbent president. Many see him as a master strategist, an economic expert, and a seasoned people manager, among others.

To be honest, an average Nigerian will recognize the name Bola Tinubu whenever it's called. A few more will agree he is one of the most brilliant and most influential politicians alive today in Nigeria and Africa at large. The question is: why is he finding it difficult to put an end to terrorism? Many believe, counting on his influence in Nigeria, Africa, and the world in general, he should have seen this issue of terrorism, bandit attacks, and herdsmen invasion sorted out. Unfortunately, there are still questions to answer.

Are the terrorists bigger and smarter than the military? Tens are dying daily, hundreds are being displaced, and thousands are losing loved ones in the most barbaric manner. And it seems the dark days have just begun. Many political analysts are of the opinion that the terrorists are sponsored by very influential and powerful personalities, people too powerful to be held responsible even by Government.

While we may be forced to believe the above assertion, is it wise to reduce the government's spirited efforts, as made to believe by the media, to just a political jamboree? Or to discredit the efforts of the gallant men of the Nigerian military to just a military parade? I have seen soldiers die...at least I know of one...he died fighting for his nation against these many terrorist groups.

What really is the problem? What do they, the terrorists, want? For whom do they want it? And how are they being empowered that even the military seem overwhelmed? The cries of many have gone far and wide...as far as the office of the president of the United States of America. And for the man he is (the US president), he says it the way it is: in his words,

Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. … I am hereby making Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern.”

If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

A few days after the initial tweets, he said in a question session while addressing the US Air Force if military action will still go on:

Could be. I mean, other things. I envisage a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria … They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.

These are strong words from a very strong leader. While many are elated by the above statements issued on different occasions by the US president. Some see it as a great concern, putting the Nigerian sovereignty in perspective.

Again, others are asking, of what use is a sovereign when she cannot safeguard the life and properties of her subjects? We all agree it's time up for the terrorist. We all agree that the government needs to do more. And we also agree that the US extending a hand of help is a welcome idea. Nevertheless, if it’s going to be guns-a-blazing, how much good will that be?

Will it be wise to go all out against the terrorist groups, knowing very well that the terrorist activity is deeper than we think? It's not been all clear; information about the terrorists and tracking them down has been full of complicated rhetoric. Different governments come up with different reasons for the delay in annihilating the bandits. Knowing that it’s a tale too intertwined and ambiguous to understand, will it not be wise to take caution?

Instead of the guns-a-blazing, should we adopt a more refined approach: for instance, going after the sponsors of these terrorists and fishing out those within government, the military, and society at large? I believe when the root dies, the leaves, no matter how many there may be, will naturally wither. But when the leaves are trimmed with the blazing guns and the root remains firm to the ground, the source will always tap to supply and generate fresher leaves (terrorist groups), which might even be resistant varieties.

The US president said they have intelligence reports with rich information. While I will not suggest making such a confidential report public, I think it should be used judiciously in tackling the terrorists and their sympathizers. For if guns should blaze, stray bullets will definitely break protocols and cause harm—much too much to be allowed.

As we await the next actions of the United States of America, the concern is: will the guns blaze, will negotiations end terrorism in Nigeria, or will the fear of the US naturally end the death toll?

There is fear in the land; the people far south are worried, and the people in the core north at the receiving end of the terrorist attack are in-between the river of joy and the valley of confusion: should they rejoice that America is coming, or should they fear that the guns, while blazing, might not recognize the victims or the predators?

Every well-meaning Nigerian hopes to see a better, more productive, prosperous, and, very importantly, peaceful Nigeria. Are we close to the end of the tunnel, or have we just begun another dark phase? Time, as they say, shall tell.

Should the guns blaze or not, this is certain: for if life tarries, Nigeria shall be great again and even better than the best of her past days...