by Mohammed Bello Doka
18 June, 2026.
There is a famous allegory that captures the tragedy of collective inaction with devastating precision. It goes like this: there was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
This is not merely a philosophical exercise in circular logic. This is the exact condition of Northern Nigeria today.
A Canadian politician from Alberta, Gurinder Brar, deployed this analogy in his parliament to critique the failure of infrastructure development in his country. He was speaking about roads, schools, and hospitals in a wealthy nation with functioning institutions. But the analogy lands with far greater force here, in a region where the crisis is not about potholes or delayed construction projects, but about survival itself. The analogy of Everybody, Anybody, Somebody, and Nobody has become the operating system of Northern Nigeria's descent into catastrophe.
Everybody knows that the North is in a serious crisis. This is not a matter of opinion or political posturing. The data is unambiguous and devastating. In 2025 alone, violent conflicts across Nigeria claimed 4,654 lives and left 3,141 people abducted, according to the Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database report unveiled by Nextier Advisory Limited. Banditry accounted for 599 incidents and 2,724 deaths in 2025, representing a significant increase from the 256 cases and 1,585 fatalities recorded in 2024. Zamfara State, the epicentre of the banditry crisis, recorded the highest number of abductions at 1,203, followed by Kaduna with 629, Katsina with 566, and Sokoto with 358. Between 2023 and May 2025, at least 10,217 people were killed by armed groups in northern Nigeria. In November 2025 alone, at least 402 people, predominantly schoolchildren, were kidnapped across four north-central states in a single month.
These are not abstract statistics. These are human beings. Children pulled from their classrooms. Farmers slaughtered in their fields. Communities erased from existence.
The President knows. The 19 northern governors know. The National Assembly knows. The traditional rulers, the emirs, the chiefs, the religious leaders, the scholars — Everybody knows. The Arewa Consultative Forum has publicly criticised political leaders for appearing more preoccupied with positioning for the 2027 general elections than confronting escalating violence in the region. The Chairman of the forum, Mamman Osuman, decried the growing incidents of terrorism, banditry, insurgency and kidnapping, noting that the violence had displaced communities, disrupted livelihoods and forced the closure of schools across affected areas.
Everybody knows. But Everybody expects Somebody to act.
The President expects the governors to act. The governors expect the President to do something. The National Assembly expects the executive to take charge. The traditional rulers expect the politicians to solve the problem. The federal government expects the state governments to secure their territories. The state governments expect the federal government to deploy the military. Everybody is waiting for Somebody else to move first.
This is the paralysis of diffusion of responsibility. When everyone is responsible, no one is responsible.
The Northern Governors Forum has been meeting, deliberating, and issuing communiques for years. In December 2025, they agreed to establish a common Northern Security Framework. Implementation has remained slow due to the failure of some stakeholders to meet their commitments. They announced a multibillion-naira Regional Security Trust Fund, with each of the 19 northern states committing N1 billion monthly. That is N19 billion every month. Where is the money? Where is the action? The governors have the votes. They have the budgets. They have the authority. Yet the killing continues.
In November 2025, during a security summit in Kebbi State, the Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum raised concerns about the deteriorating security situation. They noted that the crisis had worsened in 2026, with coordinated attacks on military formations and deadly assaults across the North-East, North-Central and North-West regions. The forum warned that existing institutional, material and strategic interventions have failed to stem the rising tide of violence. They called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security in the North. The government has not responded.
Everybody knows the government is not doing enough. But Everybody expects Somebody to call them to order.
The President can act. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He has the constitutional authority to deploy the military, to declare a state of emergency, to mobilise national resources. The governors can act. They control state security apparatuses, state budgets, and local government structures. The National Assembly can act. They control the purse strings of the nation. They can summon security chiefs, demand accountability, and pass legislation. The traditional rulers can act. They command the loyalty of their subjects. They can mobilise communities, identify informants, and expose collaborators. The people can act. Communities can organise, defend themselves, and refuse to be victims.
Anybody can act. The President could declare a state of emergency today. The governors could deploy the N19 billion monthly fund tomorrow. The National Assembly could hold security chiefs accountable this week. The traditional rulers could name and shame collaborators this very hour. The people could rise up and demand accountability this instant.
Anybody can do it. But Nobody is doing anything.
The consequences are catastrophic. The United Nations Children's Fund has reported that two million children remain out of school in the country's North-East region. In the North-West, insecurity has become a major contributing factor to the rising number of out-of-school children. Between 80 and 90 per cent of out-of-school children in Nigeria are from the North, while about 65 per cent of the country's multidimensionally poor population resides in the region. An estimated 1 million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition, double the 2024 figure.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has declared that Northern Nigeria is operating under a curse in view of the incessant bloodletting in the region. He warned: "With the kind of bloodletting we are witnessing in the North, if you are a person of faith, you will know that we are operating under a curse because it is human blood. The effect of a curse is that you sweat without results. That is why we are sweating in this part of the country without any tangible outcome." Dogara insisted that security must be the top priority before any meaningful development could occur, urging governors in the 19 northern states to pool resources to combat the menace. He added: "We need to depart from doing business as usual and embrace radical, transformative action. Help is not coming from anywhere — we must take our destiny into our own hands."
Dogara is right. Help is not coming. The international community is distracted. The federal government is overwhelmed. The governors are waiting. The National Assembly is pre-occupied with 2027. Everybody is waiting for Somebody else.
And while Everybody waits, the body count rises.
On August 19, 2025, armed attackers killed 32 people during an attack on worshippers at a mosque in Unguwan Mantau village, Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State. In April 2025, suspected herder-allied assailants killed 52 people and displaced nearly 2,000 during attacks on six villages in Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State. In June 2025, suspected herder-allied assailants attacked Yelewata, a farming community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, killing 59 people. Residents provided a list of over 100 people they allege had been killed. In August 2025, over 50 people were abducted in a mass capture in Zamfara State. In March 2025, nearly 400 people were kidnapped. In June 2026, gunmen abducted 39 people in northwestern Nigeria as they were meeting with the parents of a suspected bandit leader, hoping to negotiate reconciliation and peace.
Communities that feel the military does not protect them from constant attacks often negotiate with armed groups. This is the ultimate indictment of state failure. When citizens must negotiate with bandits for their own survival, the state has ceased to exist in any meaningful sense.
The Arewa Consultative Forum has warned that "insecurity has deepened to such an extent that external military assistance has been required". The forum noted that repeated attacks and the climate of fear have disrupted education, leading to school closures across affected areas. Rural economies have been severely strained, travel has become unsafe, and access to farming, schooling, and healthcare has been hindered.
This is not a regional problem. This is a national emergency. Dogara put it bluntly: "The development of northern Nigeria is not a regional prerogative. It must be seen as a national emergency. If the vast number of people we have in the North are not developed, Nigeria is going nowhere."
And yet, the response has been paralysis. The Northern Governors Forum has issued communiques. The Arewa Consultative Forum has issued statements. The Northern Elders Forum has convened summits. The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum has issued ultimatums. Everybody is talking. Everybody is meeting. Everybody is deliberating.
Nobody is acting.
The governors agreed in December 2025 to establish a common Northern Security Framework. Implementation has remained slow due to the failure of some stakeholders to meet their commitments. The Northern Governors Forum established a security fund with each state committing N1 billion monthly. That was December 2025. It is now June 2026. Where is the fund? Where is the security framework? Where is the action?
The North-West Youth Forum gave the Federal Government a 30-day ultimatum to address the persistent insecurity ravaging the region, warning that it would explore all lawful means to hold authorities accountable if the situation remains unresolved. The ultimatum has expired. The situation remains unresolved. Nothing happened.
Everybody is complaining. The victims are complaining. The survivors are complaining. The internally displaced persons in overcrowded camps are complaining. The families who have lost loved ones are complaining. The communities living in fear are complaining. The traditional rulers are complaining. The politicians are complaining. Everybody is complaining.
And Everybody is a victim or a potential victim. No one is safe. No community is secure. No road is safe to travel. No farm is safe to till. No school is safe to attend. No market is safe to visit. No home is safe to sleep in.
The analogy of Everybody, Anybody, Somebody, and Nobody is not just a clever rhetorical device. It is a diagnosis. It is an indictment. It is a prophecy fulfilled.
The President can act. The governors can act. The National Assembly can act. The traditional rulers can act. The people can act. Anybody can act. But at the end, Nobody did anything.
And Everybody is paying the price.
The time for waiting is over. The time for expecting Somebody else to act is over. The time for blaming Everybody else is over. The time for complaining is over. The time for action is now. Somebody must act. Anybody can act. Everybody must act. If Nobody acts, there will be Nobody left to blame.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
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