Tolu Kolawole 
“I am tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war!”….Psalm 120:6-7
In March 2025, the Plateau State region of Nigeria was rocked by violence. First, 52 people were killed in the Bokkos area during a brutal attack on multiple villages. Less than two weeks later, another massacre in the Bassa Local Government area claimed 51 more lives. The following month, in Edo State, 19 hunters suspected of being kidnappers were killed by an enraged mob in Uromi. These incidents are far from isolated, as they are part of a growing epidemic of violence that has gripped the country for years. Yet, despite the rising death toll, the government, security forces, and many commentators continue to fail to address the root causes of this insecurity.
Upon examining these ongoing tragedies, it becomes clear that the breakdown of Nigeria’s security system is not just a matter of government failure or insufficient law enforcement. While the authorities and their failures are often blamed, the deeper problem lies in a larger, systemic issue: lawlessness. This lawlessness, in turn, stems from a society built on the principle of power over justice and the absence of true moral authority.
Insecurity flourishes in a land where law is no longer a guiding principle. Nigeria’s political and cultural systems operate largely on the idea that might makes right—a reality that directly fuels violence. Nigerian society is fragmented, with ethnic and religious groups divided not only by cultural differences but by fundamentally opposing worldviews. The result is a country where might, rather than justice, prevails. This is evident in both the failures of the government to protect citizens and the vigilante justice that is becoming more prevalent across the nation.
The tragic violence seen in the Plateau and Bassa attacks, as well as in other regions, points to a crisis of lawlessness. In these areas, groups are left to fend for themselves, often resorting to violence when they feel that justice cannot be achieved through official means. The security apparatus is caught off guard, and the response from the state is inadequate. But at its core, the issue is not simply a lack of resources or mismanagement. It is a lack of true commitment to law and order, a commitment that can only be built on a moral and spiritual foundation.
This foundation can be found in the principles of Christian Reconstruction, a worldview that calls for the application of God’s law to every aspect of life. The rise of Western civilization, with its deep roots in Christian thought, was founded upon this very idea. The Puritans in early America, for example, saw the law of God as a guide for everything—from personal morality to societal governance. By applying God’s law, they established a society that was built on the principle that justice, not power, should rule. The same vision must be applied to Nigeria today if the country is to heal and prosper.
Unfortunately, the Nigerian Church, once meant to be a guiding light and prophetic voice for the nation, has largely lost its way. The Church’s response to the nation’s crises has been weak, compromised by tribalism and an increasingly pietistic approach to faith. The focus has shifted from being a voice for justice and truth to a more personal, individualistic faith—one concerned primarily with ritual and personal devotion. This retreat into pietism has left the Church absent from the public sphere, failing to address the systemic issues that plague society.
In this moment, Nigeria faces a choice: continue along the path of division, lawlessness, and insecurity, or forge a new way forward, one grounded in a unified worldview based on God’s law. This is the way forward, not just for Nigeria’s political and social systems, but for its very identity as a nation. The secular experiment in governance has failed across the globe, and Nigeria is no exception. As history has shown, a nation built on secular humanism will inevitably descend into tyranny, where might—not justice—determines the fate of the people.
To rebuild Nigeria, we must reject the secular, humanistic worldview that has shaped the country’s politics and adopt a vision rooted in biblical principles. Christian Reconstruction offers the only hope for a true societal transformation—one that integrates faith, justice, and governance under God’s law. Only then can Nigeria create a shared national identity and rise above the violence, lawlessness, and division that currently threaten its future.
The question now is whether Nigeria will heed this call for change or continue down the path of disintegration. If Nigeria is to thrive, it must embrace a return to the moral and legal principles that once built the West—a return to a faith-driven society where justice, not power, reigns. The future of Nigeria depends on it.
