December 2025
Nigeria’s swift military intervention on December 7, 2025, which restored constitutional order in the Republic of Benin after a sudden coup attempt, has once again positioned the country as a dominant power in West Africa. Within hours, Nigerian jets flew over Beninese airspace, troops were deployed, and the coup collapsed almost as quickly as it began. The operation rekindled memories of Nigeria’s long history of decisive interventions across the sub-region — and reignited an old, uncomfortable question: How can a nation capable of restoring democracy abroad fail to restore peace within its own borders?
For decades, Nigeria has enjoyed recognition as a stabilizing force in West Africa. Scholars such as Joseph C. Ebegbulem observe that Nigeria has consistently “played a defining role in the security and political stability of the West African sub-region,” particularly through ECOWAS peacekeeping missions. From Sierra Leone in 1997 to Liberia between 1999 and 2003, from Mali in 2013 to The Gambia in 2017, Nigeria has repeatedly demonstrated its capacity to mobilize military resources rapidly and decisively when regional order is threatened. Analysts at security institutions such as the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) similarly note that Nigeria remains “the backbone of ECOWAS military interventions,” often providing the bulk of equipment, funding, and troop strength.
The Benin operation, therefore, did not surprise scholars who have long argued that Nigeria’s military capability — at least at the regional level — remains formidable. What it did, however, was expose the paradox at the heart of Nigeria’s national life: Where the political class shows will, the military performs; where the will is absent, insecurity thrives.
At home, the picture is starkly different. For more than a decade, the country has struggled with unrelenting violence — Boko Haram’s insurgency in the northeast, banditry ravaging the northwest, kidnapping across the nation, and ethnic-based tensions in central regions. Despite massive budgetary spending, military operations, and repeated security reforms, millions of Nigerians still live in fear.
Researchers writing in Unisia Journal argue that Nigeria’s internal crisis is not rooted in military weakness but in deeper structural issues: weak governance, socio-economic marginalization, and chronic underdevelopment in conflict-prone regions. Other scholars highlight the inadequacy of policing, corruption in security institutions, lack of intelligence coordination, and the poor welfare of frontline personnel. In a widely cited study, analysts assert that Nigeria suffers from “a state-centric, militarized approach that fails to address the non-military causes of conflict,” leading to cycles of violence that are managed — but never resolved.
Human rights groups and political observers also contend that Nigeria’s internal security challenges are worsened by political interference, elite fragmentation, and lack of continuity in security strategies. Many communities affected by insecurity feel neglected by government authorities, creating mistrust that extremist groups exploit. This contrasts sharply with foreign interventions, where objectives are clear, timelines are short, and political divisions are minimal.
Thus, the Benin intervention has reinforced the argument made by many intellectuals: Nigeria’s security problem is not military incapacity, but political unwillingness and institutional weakness. The Nigerian Armed Forces have repeatedly proven that when given a clear mandate, necessary support, and political backing, they are capable of rapid, disciplined, and effective action. The domestic failures, therefore, lie in governance — not the barracks.
Nigeria’s success in Benin should not only be celebrated as a diplomatic or military triumph; it should also serve as a mirror reflecting what is possible at home. The speed, precision, and decisiveness displayed in Benin highlight what Nigeria could achieve if similar clarity of purpose were brought to its internal battles. But until the socio-economic roots of insecurity are confronted — poverty, unemployment, corruption, marginalization, weak policing, and poor governance — military strength alone will not deliver lasting peace.
Ultimately, the question remains as urgent as ever: Why can Nigeria save a neighbour in hours, but fail to save its own citizens for years?
The answer, scholars insist, lies not in the barracks — but in the corridors of political power.
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Opinion