The fear factor is a large motivation for the perpetration of terror related acts across the globe.
From the several attacks carried out between 2010 and 2024 in Xinjiang, China, to the recent kidnap of school children in Oyo State, Nigeria, the pattern is predictable.
Terror actors will strike, demand for ransom, eliminate some victims, and then release them with no clear details whether ransom has been paid or not.
In other circumstance, terror actors post videos of victims being maltreated in order to extract needed items from relatives.
These scenarios are of particular interest because they gain wide publicity locally and internationally.
The palpable fear is heard loud across schools, worship places and homes.
After many discussions about the fear, prayers are offered against falling victim of such.
According to security experts, terrorist acts are violent crimes designed to create widespread fear and force a government, group, or society to meet a political, religious, or ideological goal.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said these acts targeted people or property to intimidate a larger population
It is reported that in terms of scale, global media attention, and impact on society, the 2014 Chibok school girls kidnapping by Boko Haram in north eastern Nigeria—where 276 schoolgirls were taken—remains the most infamous and massive abduction event on the continent.
The Chinese approach, reflected in the Xinjiang incident, was multi-faceted.
It combined lawful security operations with education, vocational training, and efforts to address extremist ideology at its source. The stated objective was to protect the fundamental rights to life and development by first ensuring that citizens could live in peace.
However, reports also abound of the successes recorded by Nigerian security agencies in turning the tides against these fears in the minds of the populace.
In August, the Nigeria Army and joint security forces rescued 21 hostages- including 14 men, five women, one infant and four Chinese nationals- in Kogi and Kwara States.
In early August, security forces rescued more than 300 abducted people in a joint operation across Niger and Kwara States, which officials called a record single-day recovery.
In July, the Nigerian Army secured the unconditional release of 44 pupils and teachers from the Oriire community after intelligence-led operations dismantled local terrorist networks.
In June, coordinated offensives between June 4 and June 12 resulted in the rescue of 391 kidnapped victims alongside the recovery of weapons and suspected ransom money.
Still, these successes remain a far cry from the assurance the citizens needed to feel safe.
The time it takes to execute a rescue, the trauma undergone by victims, as well the alleged payments of ransom unofficially, make trust difficult.
The Federal Government has put in place various platforms to curb terror activities over the years. It employs a combination of legal frameworks, military strategies, financial crackdowns, and regional partnerships to curb terror activities.
The terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act (TPPA) passed in 2022, provides a comprehensive legal framework to criminalise terrorism, block terrorist financing, and implement United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), established under the TPPA and operating from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), coordinates national counter- terrorism policies.
It unveiled the NCTC Strategic Plan (2025–2030) to modernise security systems, boost intelligence sharing, and improve early-warning systems.
The National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST), originally enacted in 2016 and updated/validated in recent cycles, focuses on prevention, inter-agency coordination, and community engagement.
Government also uses financial and economic disruption to curb this menace.
The targeting of terrorist financing, working in collaboration with the NCTC and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), government deployed a terrorism financing task force to freeze accounts, monitor suspicious transactions, and cut off financial conduits.
Authorities tightened regulations on currency trading and money-changing operations to stop illicit financial pipelines from funding extremist cells through an oversight of the Bureau de Change operators.
Have these measures yielded result yet?
Nigeria continues to spearhead funding and regional operations with neighbouring countries under the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to counter groups like Boko Haram.
It is also implementing the Regional Strategy for the Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience (RSS) to address community recovery and build local resilience in affected areas.
Measures taken by the Nigerian government to curb terrorism—such as enhanced military operations, financial surveillance, and intelligence sharing—aim to restore national security and promote economic recovery.
So far, it has improved safety and territorial recovery.
Military interventions and joint task forces have successfully retaken numerous territories previously controlled by extremist groups like Boko Haram.
Operations targeting command structures have reduced the operational capacity of insurgent factions like ISWAP.
Securing rural areas allows displaced farmers to return to their lands, boosting local food production and stabilising agricultural supply chains.
A safer environment helps reduce the negative impact of insecurity on foreign direct investment and domestic business growth.
Enhanced oversight by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and financial watchdogs helps freeze accounts and block the flow of money used to buy weapons.
It enforces stricter regulations by monitoring Bureau de Change (BDC) operations and enforcing reporting thresholds for large cash transactions prevent the financial system from being exploited.
Similarly, enhanced security measures enable displaced populations to return to their ancestral homes, proactive intelligence and technology-driven surveillance help lower response times to threats, protecting human capital and community welfare.
The current frameworks by Nigeria emphasises research-driven approaches to tackle unemployment, poverty, drug abuse, and the lack of socio-economic opportunities that fuel recruitment.
Initiatives like the "Seeds of Hope" programme focus on deradicalisation, reconciliation, and the reintegration of former associates of non-state armed groups back into their communities.
So, what are the roles Nigerians must play to reassure themselves that the menace of terror activities did not take over their blood stream?
Security analysts say the most vital role for any citizen is disseminating reliable, timely information to law enforcement agencies.
Citizens are expected to report unfamiliar faces, unusual gatherings, or strange movements in their neighbourhoods to agencies like the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Nigeria Police.
They should report actionable intelligence directly to formal security channels rather than spreading unverified rumours on social media, which can cause panic or compromise active operations.
Terrorist groups exploit economic hardship and religious or ethnic sentiments to recruit vulnerable citizens.
Therefore, families, traditional rulers, and religious leaders should actively guide youth, teaching religious tolerance and national cohesion.
Citizens must reject divisive ideologies that seek to split the nation along religious or ethnic lines, recognizing that terrorism is a security threat affecting all Nigerians.
Citizens must expose logistics and financial networks to curb terrorist local supply chains for food, fuel, weapons, and finance.
Business owners—especially Bureau De Change operators, landlords, and vehicle dealers—are legally and morally bound to conduct thorough identity checks and flag suspicious financial patterns to the NFIU.
Under the Terrorism Act, citizens must avoid paying extortion or funding logistics that knowingly aid active terrorist networks.
Where structured and legalised, communities are encouraged to participate in grassroots security governance; engaging with localised, state-approved setups (such as registered vigilance groups or community policing committees) helps bridge the gap between rural areas and major military outfits.
Establishing trusted links with security agents ensures that community members feel safe collaborating with the law without fear of victimisation or false profiling.
Citizens are expected to maintain high situational awareness in crowded areas, places of worship, markets, and transit parks, just as local communities should act as secondary guardians of national assets (like telecommunication masts, power lines, and transport networks), and reporting any attempts at vandalism immediately.
As the saying goes, security is everyone’s business; experts emphasise that reporting suspicious activity can create the essential safety net that both citizens and the government need to stop terrorism in the country.