Rimamnde Shawulu examines communities’ reliance on charms and spiritual protection amid Nigeria’s worsening insecurity

Can Charms Stop Bandits’ Bullets?

  As banditry, kidnapping and insurgency spread across Nigeria, some traumatised communities are turning to charms, ritual fortification, magic and ancestral spirits for protection. This response deserves neither ridicule nor romanticisation. It should be understood as evidence of fear—and of the widening failure of the state to protect its citizens. Traditional hunters and vigilantes in…

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Mark Lipdo discusses Nigeria’s security crisis during an interview with Rimamnde Shawulu on Majalisah.

2,543 Killed, 1,809 Abducted Across Nigeria in Six Months — Stefanos Foundation

Mark Lipdo warns that worsening violence, mass displacement and disputes over the causes of attacks are undermining Nigeria’s security response The Stefanos Foundation says it documented the deaths of 2,543 people and the abduction of 1,809 others across Nigeria during the first six months of 2026, highlighting the continuing human cost of the country’s security…

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