The simmering tension between state authority and civil liberties in Nigeria has erupted into a fresh battleground. In a chilling declaration that has sent shockwaves through the human rights community, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has effectively endorsed a "shoot-at-sight" policy for infrastructure vandals.

This draconian rhetoric, aimed at curbing the rampant destruction of the Ibadan–Ilesa/Ife federal highway, has drawn a sharp, immediate rebuke from activist Aisha Yesufu. The clash highlights the fragile balance between protecting national assets and upholding the rule of law in a nation where "jungle justice" remains a terrifying specter. Onanuga’s comments were not merely a slip of the tongue; they represent a hardening of the state's fist in the face of economic sabotage.

The Spark: A Video of wanton Destruction

The controversy ignited following the circulation of a viral video by an X (formerly Twitter) user, @salawueedris1. The footage painted a grim picture of the ongoing rehabilitation of the crucial Ibadan–Ilesa/Ife highway. It showed the skeletal remains of what should have been reinforced concrete—vandals had systematically cut and carted away the starter bars and shoulder rods, leaving the project compromised and the state's investment bleeding.

Reacting to this visual evidence of sabotage, Onanuga did not mince words. He called for the ultimate sanction, a statement that many interpreted as an extrajudicial death sentence for suspects. His stance taps into a deep vein of frustration within the government, which sees its efforts to modernize Nigeria’s crumbling infrastructure being dismantled by scrap metal syndicates.

• The Government's Fury: Officials argue that vandalism is not just theft; it is economic terrorism that endangers lives and wastes billions of Naira.
• The Constitutional crisis: Critics argue that bypassing the judicial system to execute suspects on the streets is a hallmark of dictatorship, not democracy.
• The Precedent: Nigeria has a bloody history of extrajudicial killings, making such high-level endorsements of violence particularly volatile.

Aisha Yesufu: The Voice of Dissent

Enter Aisha Yesufu, the fearless co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls movement. Known for her refusal to kowtow to power, Yesufu launched a blistering counter-offensive. She categorized Onanuga’s comments as a direct threat to the rule of law, arguing that the government cannot become the monster it seeks to fight.

"When the state sanctions murder for theft, it loses its moral authority to govern," Yesufu fired back. Her criticism resonates with a populace weary of police brutality, still nursing the scars of the EndSARS protests. She pointed out the irony of a government that struggles to prosecute high-level corruption—often involving sums that dwarf the value of stolen iron rods—being so eager to dispense lethal justice to street-level criminals.

The "shoot-at-sight" order, while rhetorically powerful, opens a Pandora's box. Who defines a vandal in the heat of the moment? What happens when an innocent bystander is gunned down near a construction site? These are the questions haunting legal experts in Abuja today. The fear is that such directives give trigger-happy security forces a blank cheque to kill, masking incompetence or malice under the guise of asset protection.

As the debate rages on social media, the physical reality remains: the Ibadan–Ilesa/Ife road is broken, and the trust between the government and its critics is fracturing just as fast. Whether this war of words leads to a policy shift or just more bloodshed remains to be seen.