Nigeria, Nov. 13 -- On 7 November 2026, I listened with keen interest to the interview Alhaji Abubakar Gamandi, chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Fisheries Association of Nigeria, granted the BBC Hausa Service. As I translated it into English, I kept returning to his claim that armed groups now held six places on the Nigerian side of Lake Chad where troops had once been stationed. He spoke of fishermen who risk their lives to return to those waters because their families depend on what they catch. He also spoke of island communities where thousands of children have little opportunity to continue their education beyond primary school.

Speaking to Haruna Tangaza, he acknowledged the presence of the Nigerian Army, the Navy and troops of the M...