Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has warned that Nigeria is in the grip of a full-blown security emergency, calling for an immediate national declaration of war on insecurity.
Obi’s call follows a bloody weekend in which over 100 people were killed in coordinated attacks across Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, and Edo states. Among the casualties were eight officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), five soldiers, and at least 58 civilians in Borno. In Edo, gunmen abducted a Chinese national and kidnapped passengers along the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road.
“My deepest condolences go to the families of our fallen heroes. Their courage reminds us that we still have men and women willing to risk everything for our safety. Their killers must be swiftly apprehended and brought to justice,” Obi said in a statement.
He argued that Nigeria’s casualty figures now rival those of countries officially at war and stressed that the situation can no longer be treated as “business as usual.” Obi urged the federal government to suspend foreign trips by public officials and focus on personally coordinating efforts to restore national security.
“No nation can prosper while its citizens live under siege. Investors will not come into a war zone,” Obi warned, citing Somalia and Libya as examples of how insecurity can lead to national collapse.
He called for a unified mobilisation of resources, security agencies, and state governments to reclaim the country from lawlessness and prevent a descent into anarchy.
