Another General Gone: Why Nigeria's Terror War Keeps Eating Our Best

Photo: Vanguard

My people, wetin dey happen for this our Nigeria sef? Just when you think say we don get small breathing space from all these wahala wey dey worry us, another devastating news go just hit us like thunderbolt. Brigadier General Oseni Braimah don join the long list of fallen heroes wey this endless war against terrorism don claim.

For April 9, 2026, as most of us dey sleep peacefully for our beds, these heartless terrorists carry out coordinated midnight attack on the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters for Benisheikh, Borno State. The attack no be small thing o – e be the kind wey go shake you to your bones when you hear am. And just like that, we lose another senior military commander wey been dey fight tirelessly to protect our dear country.

The Weight of Losing Our Military Leaders

Bros, make I tell you something wey dey pain me sotay – losing senior military officers like Brigadier General Braimah no be just ordinary loss. These people na the brain behind our counter-terrorism operations. They be the ones wey get the experience, the tactical knowledge, and the leadership skills wey dey keep our troops together for the battlefield.

When we lose commanders of this caliber, e dey create serious gap for our military structure. Think am like this: if you dey build house and your head engineer die halfway, wetin go happen to that project? The same thing dey happen to our fight against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and all these other terrorist groups wey dey terrorize our people.

These senior officers no dey grow on trees o. E dey take years – sometimes decades – to train and develop officers to that level. The institutional knowledge, the relationships with local communities, the understanding of terrain and enemy tactics – all these things dey go with them when they die.

Our Counter-Terrorism Strategy Under Threat

Na here the matter dey serious pass. Every time we lose senior commander like this, our counter-terrorism strategy dey suffer setback. The new person wey go replace am go need time to understand the dynamics, build relationships, and continue from where the fallen hero stop.

For Northeast Nigeria, where this latest tragedy happen, continuity na very important thing. The officers wey don dey there long time don understand how these terrorists dey operate, they know the local languages, they get connections with community leaders, and they understand the geography of the area like the back of their hand.

When sudden replacement happen, especially under this kind tragic circumstances, e dey disrupt the flow of operations. The troops wey been dey work under the fallen commander go need time to adjust to new leadership style, new strategies, and sometimes completely new approach to fighting these enemies.

Beyond Wreaths and Condolences

My people, I must tell una something straight: Nigeria don dey too comfortable with just laying wreaths and reading condolence messages whenever we lose our heroes. Yes, we dey mourn them, we dey praise their sacrifice, but after the ceremonies finish, wetin we dey do differently?

These fallen heroes deserve more than just ceremonial honors. They deserve comprehensive welfare packages for their families, proper insurance coverage, and most importantly, they deserve that we learn from their sacrifice and adjust our strategies accordingly.

How many times we go lose senior officers before we realize say something fundamental need to change for our approach? How many more families go receive that midnight phone call wey nobody wan hear?

The Bigger Picture: What This Loss Means

The death of Brigadier General Oseni Braimah dey expose some serious issues for our security architecture. First, if these terrorists fit successfully attack Task Force Brigade Headquarters – place wey suppose be heavily fortified and well-defended – then nowhere dey really safe.

Second, the fact say they carry out coordinated midnight attack shows say these people still get serious operational capability despite all the claims of 'technical defeat' wey we dey hear from time to time.

Third, losing senior commanders for these kinds of direct attacks suggest say either our intelligence gathering no dey effective enough, or our defensive strategies need serious review.

Moving Forward: What Must Change

If we wan honor the memory of Brigadier General Braimah and all the other fallen heroes, we need to do more than just talk. We need action – concrete steps wey go prevent this kind tragedy from repeating itself.

Our military leadership need better protection protocols. Our intelligence gathering must improve. Our defensive strategies need urgent review. And most importantly, we need to provide our troops with the best equipment, training, and support possible.

The families of these fallen heroes also deserve our continuous support, not just during burial ceremonies but throughout their lives. Their children deserve quality education, their spouses deserve proper care, and their parents deserve to know that their son's sacrifice no go be in vain.

As we mourn Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, make we also use this moment to demand better from our leadership. Our heroes deserve more than wreaths – they deserve a country wey go learn from their sacrifice and do everything possible to prevent unnecessary losses in future.

May his soul rest in perfect peace, and may his sacrifice not be in vain. But more importantly, may Nigeria finally wake up and do wetin e suppose do to protect those wey dey protect us.