Declare war on insecurity, Obi urges FG

Mr Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to declare war on insecurity, saying that no nation can prosper while its citizens live under siege.

Obi posted this on his X handle on Monday, while reacting to reports that more than 100 people were killed in violent attacks across Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, and Edo states over the weekend.

According to the former governor of Anambra, the killing of eight officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the abduction of a Chinese national in Edo, the kidnapping of passengers on the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road calls for emergency.

“The slaughter of five soldiers and 58 civilians in Borno are not isolated tragedies, these are stark evidence that Nigeria is in the grip of a full-blown security emergency.

“My deepest condolences go to the families of our fallen heroes, their courage reminds us that we still have men and women who are willing to risk everything for our safety.

“Their killers must be swiftly apprehended and brought to justice. Their sacrifices must never be forgotten.

“When over 100 Nigerians are killed in a single weekend, our casualty figures rival those of countries officially at war”, he said.

He explained that it’s time to declare a national war on insecurity, to mobilise every resource, every agency, every state, and to suspend all distractions while we begin the process of reclaiming our nation from lawlessness.

“No nation can prosper while its live under siege, history shows that insecurity is the quickest path to national collapse, Somalia and Libya stands as painful warnings.

“We must act now, with urgency and courage, to prevent a total descent into anarchy and rebuild Nigeria into a safe, secure, and productive nation for all.