Nigeria, April 5 -- The claim that government supports banditry is often based on the assumption that shared religious identity between leaders and perpetrators implies complicity. Those who argue this way also insist that the President, as Commander-in-Chief, controls the military and security agencies, yet ignore the independence and complexity of institutions like the armed forces and the police. These agencies still provide the bulk of protection across the country; as seen during the #EndSARS protests, any total withdrawal of security forces would quickly lead to widespread disorder.



(2) The idea that terrorism belongs to a particular political party is misleading. Zamfara, once a stronghold of banditry, was previously governed b...