Abuja , Nigeria ( CNN ) -- In Nigeria , nobody speaks of terrible things . Where some unimaginable atrocity has been committed the news is often met with pursed lips , a double snap of the fingers and a swift motion over ones head to invoke a purge against evil . To speak of terror is to welcome it into one 's life . A terrible thing happened in Nigeria on Independence Day . In the small town of Mubi in the North-east , 25 students were rounded up a few hours before midnight . Their names were called out one by one . This was no typical roll call , however . The owner of each name that was called was swiftly executed by unidentified gunmen . No group has yet claimed responsibility . However Mubi is situated in Adamawa state which has become volatile of recent , an unwilling hotbed for the radical group , Boko Haram . Opinion : Nigeria is a sinking ship , but we must not desert it . The cold blooded massacre is one of the worst to hit an educational institution in Nigeria and yet nobody is really talking about it . It is not a hot topic at the workplace or on the streets . The public mood is palpably apathetic . Two full days later and the news is only just filtering through to many . Even where there is a flicker of interest , pursed lips , double finger click , arms raised . Next topic . Thank you very much . The federal government has responded typically which is to say that the old book of cliches has been dusted down for frantic recital . No stone unturned . Perpetrators brought to book . Remote and immediate causes will be investigated . The cliches are often peppered with words like probe and investigative and panel . Read more from the author . There is something sacred about learning institutions . When one thinks of the more infamous attacks on educational institutions -- Dunblane , Columbine , Toulouse , Erfurt -- it is shocking to see there is not a similar outpouring of grief in Nigeria over those who died in Monday 's attack . The sad truth is that insecurity has now become a constant companion for many Nigerians . As a result there is no longer any shock value . Attacks segue seamlessly into more attacks at a pace that makes it impossible to distinguish , digest or mourn appropriately . Read related : Suicide bomb kills 2 at Nigerian church . Disbelief has made way for indifference as no one simply knows how to respond anymore . One week a church is hit , another a mosque . Today a newspaper headquarters is bombed tomorrow a petrol station is set ablaze . The pattern of violence is predictably indiscriminate . The strategy to combat the rising insecurity -- if indeed there is a strategy -- is not a winning one . Eyewitnesses to the Mubi killings say the shooting lasted for almost two hours uninterrupted after which the killers casually disappeared into the night . The latest attack will once again question the imperative of a regional or state police force . The national police system is crumbling under the weight of increased responsibility . The argument , which is slowly gaining traction , is that a local police force would have a far greater appreciation of the terrain , natives and nuances of a particular place . The current practice of stationing police officers in completely unfamiliar surroundings puts them at an obvious disadvantage . However even if a state police system becomes a reality , the long term solution to tackling insecurity must go beyond fighting fire with fire . There are more fundamental issues at play . The disparity that exists between Nigerians is greater now than it has ever been . There are no new interconnecting roads and bridges to reconnect cities and states . Strangers remain strangers . It will always be easier to maim or kill those that are unfamiliar to you . A greater push must be made to plan and budget public spending that will be used to finance the ever deepening infrastructure deficit . Where idleness exists crime and violence invariably follow . The inordinate amount of unemployed Nigerians can be linked directly to rising insecurity levels . There is insufficient power to energize the productive energy of the economy . Cosmetic initiatives such as the almajiri school system , which combines Muslim and western education , are rubric failures . People have to eat before they can learn . An empty stomach is the poorest of receptacles for qualitative learning . A better initiative would be to establish commodity boards to buy produce at government guaranteed prices . This puts money in the hands of the poor rural farmers who are most vulnerable yet paradoxically have the responsibility of feeding a country . The human potential of a satiated nation is close to infinite . A full belly is the most effective distraction against crime . Until such measures are put in place the Nigerian society will need to rediscover the ability to police itself . The growing number of atrocities is being perpetrated by people indigenous to the area . Rising insurgency has led to rising insularity . Neighbors are now regarded with suspicion . It is a harsh truth to bear . There are killers in the midst of everyday Nigerians . Only a greater acceptance of civic duties ; to observe and report suspicious behavior can expose those that lurk in the shadows yet continue to wreak havoc across the land . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Terfa Tilley-Gyado .
Political commentator says Nigerians largely indifferent to growing security threat . Twenty-five students were executed at a university in Mubi , Adamawa state Monday . The Associated Press contributed to this report.