Nigeria at a Crossroads: Ado Doguwa Urges Shutdown of National Assembly as Bauchi Villagers Flee Terror

By Sam Agogo

The story of Nigeria today is one of resilience tested by relentless waves of violence. Across the country, communities that once thrived on farming, trade, and kinship bonds now live under the shadow of fear.

In Bauchi State, several villages in Alkaleri Local Government Area were recently invaded by heavily armed attackers, forcing residents to abandon their homes in panic. Families fled in droves, trekking for hours across rugged terrain to Kashere in Gombe State, where classrooms at Kashere Central Primary School have become makeshift shelters. The sight of mothers clutching infants, children crying from hunger, and elders collapsing from exhaustion paints a grim portrait of a nation where survival has become the only possession.

This tragedy is not isolated. From Kaduna to Zamfara, Plateau to Benue, Nigerians endure daily assaults from bandits and terrorists. Farms lie abandoned, schools shuttered, and communities fractured. The violence has become systemic, eroding trust in government and deepening despair among citizens who feel abandoned by those sworn to protect them. The displacement of thousands in Bauchi is not just a humanitarian disaster—it is a warning that the state is losing control of its territory.

In Abuja, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), delivered a searing indictment of Nigeria’s leadership. He demanded the closure of the National Assembly, declaring: “Shut down the National Assembly. Who are you legislating for when the country is running in blood?” His words resonate as both a rebuke and a challenge, underscoring the futility of legislative business in a nation where citizens are being slaughtered daily. Doguwa’s intervention reflects a growing frustration among lawmakers and citizens alike: what use are laws and debates when the state cannot guarantee the most basic right—the right to life?

Governor Bala Mohammed has appealed for urgent federal intervention and a regional security summit, but Doguwa’s radical call underscores the urgency of extraordinary measures. His demand is symbolic, yet it captures a truth many Nigerians feel: the machinery of government cannot continue “business as usual” while the nation bleeds.

The deeper reality is stark. Nigeria stands at a crossroads where insecurity is no longer a regional problem but a national crisis threatening its cohesion. If unchecked, invasions like Bauchi’s risk normalizing mass displacement, weakening food security, and fueling cycles of poverty and radicalization. The question is not whether Nigeria can survive another election cycle—it is whether Nigeria can survive its leaders’ obsession with elections while ignoring the existential threat of insecurity.

Until the cries of displaced villagers are heard above the noise of campaign rallies, Nigeria will remain trapped in blood and fear.

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