Rotimi Fasan Demands Nigeria Intensify War on Terror Sympathisers

A sharp editorial published in Vanguard News on Tuesday demanded that Nigerian security forces take a harder line against suspected terrorist sympathisers and financial backers, with the piece singling out communities in Oyo State's Ogbomoso Local Government Area as potential hotspots for intelligence gathering. Rotimi Fasan, the Lagos-based columnist who authored the commentary, argued that the current approach to counter-terrorism has been too narrow, focusing on battlefield engagements while leaving networks of supporters intact.

The Argument for Expanding the Fight

Fasan opened his piece with a blunt assessment: security agencies have spent years chasing foot soldiers while ignoring those who provide shelter, funding, and ideological cover for violent groups. In Ogbomoso and surrounding areas, he wrote, local informants could prove invaluable—if authorities would invest in building trust with rural communities rather than treating them as suspect. The column drew a direct line between unpunished sympathisers and the persistent violence that has plagued northern Nigeria for more than a decade.

The piece stopped short of calling for mass arrests, instead advocating for targeted investigations backed by credible intelligence. Fasan cited the need for prosecutors to build cases that could withstand court scrutiny, noting that several high-profile terrorism prosecutions have collapsed because evidence was gathered through methods that violated suspects' rights.

What Counter-Intelligence Experts Say

Former military intelligence officers who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said Fasan's core argument aligns with accepted doctrine: you cannot defeat an insurgency by killing its fighters alone. One retired army colonel with experience in the northeast conflict zones noted that for every visible combatant, there are typically five to ten support personnel—logisticians, recruiters, and financiers—who remain at large. The colonel pointed to a 2019 case in which a suspected bomb-maker was traced back to a village near Ogbomoso after investigators tracked financial transfers through local mobile money agents.

Security Implications for Oyo State

While Oyo State has not experienced the kind of mass-casualty attacks that have devastated Borno, Yobe, and parts of Kaduna, the state sits on major transit routes that intelligence analysts believe have been used by militants moving between the southwest and the north-central belt. The state's Special Anti-Robbery Squad has intercepted convoys carrying weapons on at least three occasions in the past eighteen months, according to police statistics released in January.

Local residents in Ogbomoso told community reporters that they have noticed increased police checkpoints over the past quarter, particularly along the Ilorin-Ilorin road that cuts through the heart of the local government area. A trader named Abiodun, who operates near the Ogbomoso market, said the presence of armed officers has become a daily reality. "Before, you would see police occasionally. Now there are always at least two patrols on main roads," he said, declining to give his full name for safety reasons.

Government Response and Community Relations

The Oyo State Police Command declined to comment specifically on Fasan's editorial but confirmed that counter-terrorism patrols had been stepped up in areas considered vulnerable to infiltration. Police spokesperson Adewale Benson said in a written statement that officers have been instructed to engage with community leaders and gather local intelligence. "We are not in the business of harassment," Benson wrote. "Our goal is to protect every resident of Oyo State while ensuring that those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear."

Fasan's column acknowledged this push but argued it was insufficient without a parallel effort to hold abusive officers accountable. He pointed to documented cases in which heavy-handed police raids in predominantly Yoruba communities damaged trust built over years. One incident he referenced—a 2022 raid on a village near Ogbomoso that resulted in the death of a 45-year-old farmer—remains under investigation by the state's Criminal Investigation Department.

Financial Dimensions of the Sympathy Problem

The columnist devoted a substantial section of his piece to tracing how funds flow from sympathetic donors in southern Nigeria to militant camps in the north. He named no specific individuals, citing journalistic standards, but described a pattern of charitable foundations registered under benign names that have funnelled money to families of convicted terrorists. The piece called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to audit at least twelve organisations it did not name.

EFCC officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether any such investigations were underway. A source within the commission, speaking informally, said that monitoring charitable organisations across Nigeria's 36 states presents enormous practical challenges given the agency's limited staffing.

The Human Cost of Inaction

Fasan's editorial closed with a stark reminder of what he called the arithmetic of choosing not to act. If Nigeria fails to disrupt terrorist support networks, he wrote, the violence that has displaced more than three million people nationally will eventually spread to states currently considered safe. Oyo State's population of roughly eight million makes it an attractive target not for its resources but for its symbolic value as a Yoruba heartland. "The question is not whether this fight belongs to Oyo State," Fasan wrote. "The question is whether Oyo State will wait until it has no choice before joining it."

What Comes Next

Vanguard News reported that the National Assembly's Committee on Defence is scheduled to hold public hearings on counter-terrorism strategy in April. Committee chairman Senator Ali Ndume told reporters in Abuja that the panel would accept submissions from civil society groups and individual citizens, a process that advocacy organisations say could provide a platform for voices from Oyo State. The deadline for written submissions is March 15, and activists in Ibadan have already begun organising a coalition to present recommendations on improving police-community relations.