19/01/2026
NIGERIA UPDATE - “Tinubu’s Silent War on the Muslim North, Revisited: New Questions, Familiar Patterns — or More Unfortunate Coincidences?” - By Mohammed Bello Doka- January 17, 2026
I have been insulted, abused, threatened, and even warned of bodily harm and elimination. Some have openly called for my arrest and detention; others have gone as far as wishing me death. Yet I am left with no option but to do what many are too afraid to do: ask the difficult questions. If this burden has been placed on me, I will carry it until freedom or martyrdom—because silence, in moments like this, is complicity.
Most of the abuse followed a single article. That article asked one question—and instead of answers, it provoked rage. This is my response. And when examined closely, it reveals that there are now more questions than answers.
In my last article, I asked a direct question: Is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu waging a quiet war against the Muslim North, or are we merely witnessing a series of coincidences? The response avoided the question. Instead, there were insults, accusations of paranoia, and loud whataboutism.
This Was the Question Then. This Is the Question Now.
Why do power, protection, and proximity to the centre keep moving away from the same bloc?
Why do media accusations of terrorism financing and corruption repeatedly feature Northern Muslim powerbrokers?
Why are institutions, money, and regulatory authority consolidating in one direction, while exposure, insecurity, and political vulnerability concentrate in another?
If this is coincidence, it is an unusually consistent and stubborn one.
Power First: Who Lost What—and When?
The article details a series of political and institutional shifts, noting exits and replacements of major figures:
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje — Muslim, North — exited as APC National Chairman, replaced by Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda — Northern Christian.
The electoral nerve centre shifted from Mahmood Yakubu — Muslim, North — to Joash Amupitan — Northern Christian.
The Defence Ministry changed hands during a national security emergency; Mohammed Badaru Abubakar — Muslim, North — was replaced by a Northern Christian, General Christopher Musa.
Senate security oversight was reshuffled, removing a Muslim, Northern chair.
Elite discussion continues about replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima — Muslim, North — with a Northern Christian in 2027.
The article asks: How many such shifts, all pointing in the same direction, can reasonably be dismissed as random?
Then Exposure: Clear Media Accusations, No Closure
The article also highlights media accusations involving three Northern Muslim figures related to terrorism financing or corruption:
- Tukur Yusuf Buratai
- Faruk Yahaya
- Abubakar Malami, now under EFCC detention (not yet fully known).
The article notes these are accusations—not convictions—and points out that similar allegations are not publicly made against other regional or religious groups.
Beyond Party Lines: Everyone Is Now Expendable
The article claims the pattern of political displacement and legal/ media pressure extends across party lines and includes other Northern Muslim figures such as Nasir El-Rufai, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and others, with investigations or suspicions lingering without judicial closure.
Institutions and Money: Where Power Now Lives
The article also discusses shifts in institutional and economic centres of power towards Lagos—such as headquarters relocations for agencies like FAAN, CBN departments, BOI, NPA, and NIMASA—suggesting this peripheralises regions in the North.
Insecurity and Electoral Weakening
I therefore juxtaposes institutional consolidation with ongoing insecurity in the North—banditry, displacement, and disruption of everyday life—posing the question whether the insecurity outcomes correlate with political weakening.
Selective Anti-Corruption: The Unanswered Contrast
The article asks why intense anti-corruption focus appears selective, contrasting high-profile Northern Muslim cases with other scandals where consequences were minimal or absent.
Final Challenge: Who Is Safe?
The piece concludes by posing a stark question: if media accusations and political shifts continue, who in the Muslim North will remain politically secure if President Tinubu wins in 2027?
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
