Some people say ever since COVID which happened around the year 2019/2020, something has shifted, something feels different, like our lives have been upended in a way that feels far from realistic. Some say things have always been this way for the longest, evil did not start marinating recently, we only get to see it often in the present because we have cellphones with social media applications. Back in the days, the world’s horrors could be hidden. You'd have to visit a newspaper stand or own a television, which many people were not privileged enough to have at the time, to hear of the atrocities committed against humanity by humans themselves. Either way, these passing years, there’s no denying that we’re being plunged further into really dark times. One would think that with the influx of education and technology, our problems would lessen. Ironically, all our problems have ever seemed to do is heighten; from natural death that’s as rampant as flies, rape, robbery, sexual/non-sexual trafficking, killings of all sort, pedophilia, war, and hunger, to every other war crimes—even when there's no physical war in sight—you can think of, there’s no denying we’re indeed in gory times.
For further context, consider the case of Ochanya Ogbanje, a 13-year-old girl who passed away due to prolonged complications from vesico-vaginal fistula. It is said that she was sexually abused repeatedly—in both holes within her private region—by her relatives who were supposed to fill the roles of being her guardians; first, by her cousin, Victor Ogbuja, and then by her uncle, Andrew Ogbuja, all at the age of 8. 8 years of age, guys, and she continued to suffer that abuse until she died of it in October, 2018. Now, even though the case has been reopened in 2025, what is the guarantee that Ochanya is actually going to get the right amount of justice this time, considering that her uncle, the second pedophile, was acquitted of the rape charges due to ‘lack of sufficient evidence’ by the court, and her cousin, the first pedophile, fled the scene and has not been found for the longest? And if Ochanya does not get the justice she deserves, what is the hope of the common child in Nigeria? What is the hope of children who barely have reasonable parents and are at the mercy of both strangers and family alike?
Yes, Ochanya’s case sparked national outrage, with online and offline campaigns flying south, left, and center, but what has it truly done? People will—are momentarily moving onto the next trending evil. Is this the scent of hopelessness? Are we really doomed if we look into it? Why don't we get to hear about the negative happenings until it's too late? Lately, it seems like ignoring the crises and focusing on other entertaining trending issues will make the crises go away, but it doesn't. They are right there, staring us in the face whether we choose to look at them or not. Like the Yelwata killings in Benue which occurred around June, 2025, some people are just getting wind of this information in November of the same year! And it wasn't until Trump said he was going to come into this “now disgraced country, guns ablazing,” that people began to circulate tapes of the massacre and other massacres. For that event alone, according to UNICEF, over 3,000 Christians/non-Christians were displaced, and over 200 Christians were killed. Throngs of graves and utter terror, and not one person has been held accountable for it up until today.
There's no doubt that the slow trajectory of justice and the repeated cycle of violence, speak volumes of a broader crisis of governance. Let's not talk about how dwindled the economy is that citizens of the country would not think twice before trading their dignity and self-expression for a few naira notes. Re-electing the same government that cripples into power all because they've made promises that they won't keep, and have entrusted a few shut-the-fuck-up coins into their palms. It's like it's a whole new 2014 over again. These times just seem more wrecked than the last.
Additionally, the genocidal killing of Christians has now become a source of concern, even to outsiders. Recently, there was a terrorist attack in the town of Eruku in Kwara state and lots of lives were lost (I mean, killed and kidnapped). And bear in mind, this attack did not just happen anywhere, it happened in a church. In. a. church. A church close to a market where we likely had a lot of folks shopping or selling around. There were casualties, which were expected, but there has also been the absence of justice, which was also, unfortunately, expected. People are mourning their losses daily, but there are more losses ahead of us and we cannot deny that, because this is not the first time people have been killed in their numbers in Kwara or any other northern/western state in the country. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), ever since August, 2025, many Christians have been brutally murdered, abducted, or displaced by Fulani bandits or Jihadist herders. It is also alleged that some of these bandits who recently attacked the Eruku town were hidden, clothed, and fed by some indigenes of the same town. How awful! In August, 2025, a pastor by the name James Audu Issa was abducted, and even though a chunk of the ransom was raised by the community which barely have much anyway, he still was slain in captivity. It’s total dementedness, because when evil like this goes down, every single person will be a partaker subsequently. Pregnant women, aged adults, children, and teens alike, atheists, Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, and all other religions available within the country will all reap from this foul place of depravity.
In Nigeria, corruption is at a high level, and even with the removal of fuel subsidy, things have forgotten to revert to normalcy. Inflation remains very lofty, and ordinary Nigerians are being forced to move out of their homes courtesy of their inability to afford rent. Let's not talk about food, clothing, and energy. The average Nigerian is living from hand to mouth, and this just shows how doomed the government and people are. When a fuel tanker overturned near Suleja and killed over a 100 people, the disaster highlighted the systemic issues of the country, and instead of that to be fixed, instead of the roads, weak regulation policies, and dangerous behaviors to be mended, everything was swept under the rug. Some folks could be seen rushing out to collect fuel from the fallen tanker even when dead bodies still lay scattered across different sections of the road. How convenient!
Furthermore, for the longest time, unions have solicited better wages, gone on strikes for a much higher minimum wage or for their salaries to be paid on time, but instead of these matters being remedied, instead of higher powers to take accountability for the vulnerable governance and political cronyism, there has instead, been the increment of tax which is supposed to take place in the year 2026. Don't you think an aggressive tax system without empathy is going to leave the already squeezed citizens feeling extra nauseous and claustrophobic?
Then there's Ezra Olubi and the Nigerian Police Force…
CONCLUSION
It is clear that we’re engulfed in opaque times and even though iniquity has always been grotesque, it’s more visible now and seemingly unending. It is also apparent that the system built to protect us; the government, religion, law enforcement agencies, education, etc, are themselves cracking under the weighty burden of corruption, indifference, nepotism, mismanagement, and lack of accountability. The state of the country is so nasty that terrorists keep coming closer and closer by the day and are no longer afraid to be very vocal about their attacks on Nigerians; posting videos about invading public spaces because they are certain they will not be sanctioned for their atrocities.
These days, Nigerians are combating not just physical threats, but economic suffocation, and mental exhaustion. And now, with the coming 2026 tax reforms, even the little that the citizens have managed to hold onto will come under stricter observation, scrutiny, and enforcement. Promises are abundant in the country, but delivery is as scarce as the top dogs in power. This is the time to awaken, the time for more kindness in our dealings with each other. Communities should band together, enough of all this tribalistic nonsense. The youths cannot keep waiting for a salvation they do not see forthcoming. This should not just be a period of suffering, but a period of reckoning. If there's anything the world has taught us, evil thrives in silence. And Nigerians—wounded, battered, but unshattered, should be done being silent.
BY PRECIOUS NELSON
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