Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has cautioned against treating recent military successes against insurgents as a final victory, warning that terrorism remains an evolving threat that could regain momentum without sustained vigilance.

His remarks come at a time when Nigerians continue to face sporadic attacks, abductions, and growing insecurity in parts of the North-East, despite repeated assurances from authorities that terrorist groups have been significantly weakened. The warning highlights the widening gap between official optimism and public concerns over long-term security stability.

Speaking on Thursday at the unveiling of a two-volume book titled Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency Operations in North East Nigeria, Shettima said the country’s security battle requires more than battlefield victories.

Represented by the Special Adviser on General Duties, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, the Vice President said recent gains by Nigerian troops should not create complacency.

“While significant progress has been made in degrading terrorist capabilities, progress must not be mistaken for final victory. Terrorism requires sustained vigilance, continuous adaptation, and strengthened collaboration among all stakeholders,” he stated.

The publication was authored by retired Major General Ibrahim Yusuf, a former Commander of 21 Brigade, former General Officer Commanding 7 Division, and former Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force.

According to Shettima, Nigeria’s prolonged insurgency crisis should not be viewed as proof of national weakness, but as evidence of the resilience of citizens and security personnel confronting complex threats across the North-East and Lake Chad Basin.

He also reiterated the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to improving military welfare, operational readiness, intelligence gathering, and civil-military cooperation.

Beyond the official statement, Shettima’s remarks reflect growing recognition within government circles that Nigeria’s security challenge is entering a more complicated phase.

Military operations may weaken armed groups temporarily, but experts increasingly warn that insecurity now feeds on wider structural problems including poverty, displacement, unemployment, weak border control, and illegal arms movement across the Sahel region.

What makes this more complex is the changing nature of insurgent activity. Rather than holding territories openly as they once did, armed groups now rely more on ambushes, kidnappings, isolated attacks, and psychological pressure designed to create fear and weaken public confidence.

This shift has direct consequences for ordinary Nigerians.

Farmers in conflict-prone communities continue to face disruptions that affect food production. Small businesses in affected states operate under rising security costs, while displaced families remain dependent on humanitarian support years after major military offensives began.

Security analysts also note that prolonged insecurity places additional pressure on government spending at a time when Nigeria is already dealing with inflation, currency instability, and economic reforms.

Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, described the publication as an important contribution to military learning and institutional memory.

According to him, preserving operational lessons from the battlefield is critical for future military planning.

“Knowledge preservation is essential to institutional growth, and works such as this ensure that valuable lessons from the field are not lost but passed on to future generations,” he said.

The author, retired Major General Ibrahim Yusuf, revealed that the project took nearly eight years to complete and intentionally excluded sensitive operational details that could affect ongoing missions.

Instead, the work focuses on lessons learned from more than a decade of counterterrorism operations in Nigeria’s North-East and the Lake Chad region.

Nigeria has faced insurgency threats for more than a decade, with the conflict evolving through multiple phases involving Boko Haram and splinter factions operating across regional borders.

Although government forces have recovered territories once controlled by insurgents, security incidents continue to occur in rural communities and along transport routes.

Historical patterns suggest that militant groups often adapt after suffering major losses, making intelligence gathering, regional cooperation, and local community trust just as important as military offensives.

The deeper issue now is whether Nigeria can transition from short-term tactical victories to long-term stability.

The real challenge will not simply be the number of insurgent camps dismantled, but whether communities across the North-East can return to normal economic and social life without fear of recurring violence.