The abduction of a retired Nigerian general and his wife is not merely a crime; it is a symptom of a civilisation in decay. Once a beacon of order in the chaotic tapestry of West Africa, Nigeria now resembles a Roman province in its terminal decline – looted by warlords, abandoned by its elite, and preyed upon by bandits who operate with impunity. UK intelligence is rightly concerned; when the military cannot protect its own, the social contract is torn to shreds.
This incident fits a pattern. Nigeria’s security forces are overwhelmed, corrupt, and often complicit. The countryside is carved up by kidnap gangs, Boko Haram remnants, and ethnic militias. The state, grown fat on oil revenues, has neglected its primary duty: the safety of its citizens. Retired generals are not immune; they are merely richer targets. The chaos lures foreign jihadists, disrupts oil supplies, and sends refugees fleeing to Europe’s shores. The West, obsessed with wokeness and climate summits, ignores this entropy at its peril.
What is the way forward? Not more aid or pious UN resolutions. Nigeria needs a ruthless, accountable state that can make war on its enemies. The Victorians understood that order precedes liberty. Without strong institutions, freedom is merely a licence for predation. As Rome fell, the Britons first felt the barbarian knife. Nigeria today is a warning to every nation that sleeps while its defences rot.
