Former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, has issued a stark warning about Nigeria's escalating security crisis, stating the nation is perilously close to treating terror as a normal occurrence.
A National Emergency Unfolds
In a strongly-worded statement, the elder statesman described the relentless wave of killings, kidnappings, and terrorist assaults as a national emergency that demands clear and decisive leadership. He has directly advised President Bola Tinubu to take urgent and concrete action to address the deteriorating situation.
Essien provided a chilling catalogue of recent violent incidents to underscore his point. He highlighted the abduction and execution of Brigadier General Musa Uba and three soldiers in Borno State. He also referenced the kidnapping of over 64 individuals in Tsafe, Zamfara, and the abduction of 25 female students and school officials in Kebbi State. The former minister further mentioned the killing of a police officer in Yobe, attacks on Christian worshippers in Kwara, and the major abduction of more than 300 students from a Catholic school in Niger State.
"These tragedies are no longer isolated events. They are now daily realities in many parts of Nigeria, and the pattern of attacks shows a frightening level of coordination and brutality," Essien noted. He warned that the consequences are already severe, with communities shutting down, farmers abandoning their fields, and worshippers feeling unsafe in their places of worship.
Leadership and Strategy Under Scrutiny
The former lawmaker accused the Federal Government of failing to demonstrate the necessary urgency to confront the crisis. He pointedly recalled that President Tinubu was once a vocal critic of the Jonathan administration's security failures, yet the very insecurity he condemned has worsened significantly under his own watch. Essien insisted that the effective leadership promised during the political campaigns "has simply not materialised."
Expressing deep concern, Essien questioned the calibre of appointments to critical security positions. He argued that the defence sector requires expertise and deep knowledge, not political compensation. "Defence is not a political reward; it is the backbone of national survival," he stated, emphasising that highly adaptive terrorist networks cannot be defeated by leaders lacking specialised defence knowledge.
He went further to criticise disturbing claims that some individuals within the government might harbour sympathies for terrorist networks or maintain questionable links with them. According to him, no nation can win a war against terror when elements within its own security architecture are potentially compromised or conflicted in their loyalties.
The Path Forward: Accountability and Socio-Economic Reforms
Essien called for a comprehensive security strategy built on several key pillars:
- Intelligence-led operations
- Strengthened community security networks
- A better-equipped armed forces
- A renewed commitment to accountability
He stressed that collaborators, funders, and protectors of terrorists must be identified and prosecuted, regardless of their political or social standing.
Addressing the root causes, the elder statesman lamented the vast population of uneducated, underage children roaming Nigerian streets. He described this situation as an endless pool of recruits for banditry and extremism. He urged the federal government to implement policies that restore hope, opportunity, and dignity to these vulnerable groups, making them less susceptible to exploitation by criminal networks.
On the issue of corruption, Essien, a former Chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption, described graft as a cancer eroding the foundation of Nigeria's security architecture. He stated that the country remains perpetually short of funds due to massive leakages and the diversion of public resources, compounded by the government's failure to act on investigative reports.
"The politicisation of security is becoming more dangerous than the terrorists themselves," he concluded. "If this trend continues, Nigeria risks losing public trust, experiencing mass displacement, and sliding into deeper ethnic and religious conflict. Propaganda and political scheming must not overshadow the urgent need for decisive security reforms."
