Insecurity: For How Long Will Nigerians Lament? -By Adesina Julius O.

There is no doubt that Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is bedeviled and buffeted by a myriad of security challenges never seen or experienced since our independence in 1960.

The country is under siege from terrorists, bandits, and other criminal gangs holding sway over swaths of ungoverned territories from the north to the south, east, and west.

Kidnapping for ransom has assumed an industrial and deadly scale. Our children are no longer safe in schools, and Nigerian citizens and communities are now pauperized by terrorists who extort huge ransoms while murdering their hostages.

Terrorists are invading unexpected places. Insecurity is erupting everywhere. The government is not only overwhelmed and tired, but it is also trying to save its head as the terrorists have turned the heat on the Commander-in-Chief.

Sadly, the lamentation seems endless for the citizens as the ceaseless assault on Nigeria’s sovereignty continues.

Nigerians now live at the mercy of terrorists, criminals, and warmongers, while the president we thought would end our security woes looks on unperturbed, without ideas and measures to curtail Nigeria’s increasing security challenges, or even show empathy for those that are losing loved ones on a daily basis.

The recent school attack in Orire local government has further exposed the weakness of the government over terrorists and, most importantly, queried the huge amount being budgeted and spent daily on security.

The incapacity and unwillingness of the federal government to protect children receiving education is the lowest phase of insecurity and terrorism, which must never be allowed to fester. A nation whose political leadership is unwilling to protect school children has lost the legitimacy to govern.

Nowhere is safe in the 36 states of the country, with road, rail, and air travel constituting a nightmare for Nigerians.

No countries of the world, investors, and foreigners will take the country seriously because of the less regard for the lives of her citizens and inability to defeat homegrown terrorists.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his government have failed in their primary duty under Section 14 2(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which is ensuring the security and welfare of the Nigerian people.

The government’s failure to act decisively against the bandits has only emboldened them to carry out fresh attacks. While they are releasing some abductees—often only after ransoms have been paid—new attacks are being staged, and it is becoming an endless cycle of kidnappings and releases.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria must now realize that it is time to declare a national state of emergency with a view to enforcing the counter-terror laws. The phenomenal abdication of the federal government’s primary duty to protect school children is a serious and grave threat to the existence of Nigeria.

The government should learn from countries that have fought terrorism to a standstill. It should collaborate and show commitment to fighting genuinely, as some countries who are willing to partner in the fight may be scared the government may not give all to the fight.

However, if the insecurity challenge facing the country persists, it can never let Nigeria reach a greater height.