Nigeria, June 10 -- A troubling imbalance has settled into Nigeria's conversation around insecurity.

Every attack trends almost instantly. Every setback multiplies across social media before the smoke has even cleared. Every rumour gathers momentum, while verification struggles to catch up.

Yet the quiet, painstaking gains recorded daily by security and intelligence agencies rarely command the same public attention.

This imbalance is not without consequence.

To be clear, what is truly at stake is not merely territory or tactical advantage. It is the battle for national confidence itself. Insecurity, as we have come to understand it, is never only physical. It is profoundly psychological.

Those who traffic in violence understand this ...