The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described the reported elimination of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, said to be ISIS’ global second-in-command, in a joint operation involving United States and Nigerian forces, as a major counter-terrorism success—but warned that the victory exposes deeper weaknesses in Nigeria’s internal security system.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the group said the operation demonstrates what is possible when intelligence sharing, external partnerships, and military coordination are properly aligned. It commended Nigerian troops for their role in the mission within the Lake Chad Basin, describing their involvement as courageous and professionally executed.
However, HURIWA argued that the real issue is not the occasional elimination of high-profile terrorists, but Nigeria’s inability to sustain pressure on extremist networks operating across multiple regions of the country.
The organisation warned that while global counter-terrorism cooperation may produce headline victories, Nigeria continues to battle an internal security structure that is reactive, fragmented, and overly dependent on external intelligence support.
According to HURIWA, the country’s security challenge is no longer only about firepower, but about system failure—particularly in intelligence coordination, early-warning response mechanisms, and inter-agency communication.
The group stressed that terrorist groups operating in Nigeria have evolved into decentralised networks that adapt quickly, exploit weak borders, and target soft civilian locations such as schools, rural communities, and highways. It said this makes isolated military successes insufficient unless backed by sustained intelligence dominance.
HURIWA further raised concern that despite repeated military operations in the North-East and other flashpoints, attacks, kidnappings, and rural violence remain widespread in states including Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Benue, Plateau, and Niger.
It argued that this pattern suggests a gap between tactical battlefield wins and strategic national security control.
The organisation therefore called for a shift from what it described as “event-based counter-terrorism” to a fully integrated national security architecture driven by real-time intelligence, technology, and unified command coordination.
It specifically urged the Nigerian Armed Forces to modernise operational doctrines, strengthen surveillance capacity, and adopt more advanced asymmetric warfare strategies that prioritise prevention over reaction.
HURIWA also highlighted what it described as long-standing institutional silos among security agencies, insisting that lack of coordination between the military, intelligence services, and paramilitary organisations continues to weaken national response capacity.
The group said Nigeria cannot defeat terrorism effectively while agencies operate with overlapping mandates, delayed intelligence sharing, and inconsistent communication structures.
Beyond operational reforms, HURIWA called for a comprehensive reassessment of national homeland security policy, urging the government to move away from symbolic responses toward measurable performance-driven security management.
It challenged security leadership to develop clear benchmarks for protecting schools, farming communities, highways, and religious centres, stressing that citizens are demanding results, not rhetoric.
The group also emphasised the need for stronger investment in technology-driven security solutions, including drone surveillance, border monitoring systems, cyber intelligence, and rapid-response platforms capable of anticipating threats before they escalate.
While acknowledging international collaboration in the recent operation, HURIWA warned against over-reliance on foreign support, insisting that Nigeria must build internal capacity capable of independently sustaining counter-terrorism pressure.
It further called for improved welfare, training, and equipment for frontline troops, arguing that operational effectiveness is closely tied to morale and logistics.
HURIWA concluded that the elimination of a senior ISIS commander should be seen not as an endpoint, but as a reminder of what Nigeria could achieve if its security system is fully restructured and professionally integrated.
It maintained that lasting peace will not come from occasional victories, but from fixing the structural weaknesses that allow insecurity to persist across the country.
HURIWA: ISIS Strike a Victory, But Nigeria Must Fix Broken Security System
