…Warns Nigeria risks collapse if urgent steps not taken
By Sodiq Adelakun
Former presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government, cautioning that Nigeria risks disintegration unless decisive steps are taken to address the worsening security crisis.
Posting on his X, formerly Twitter, handle on Sunday, Obi described the situation as a national emergency, pointing out that more than 100 people were killed across Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, and Edo States over the past weekend.
He referenced several incidents, including the killing of eight officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the abduction of a Chinese national in Edo, the kidnapping of passengers along the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road, and the murder of five soldiers alongside 58 civilians in Borno.
The former governor insisted that the slain security operatives “must be honoured with justice and their sacrifices never forgotten.” He added that the country’s casualty figures now rival those of nations officially at war, pressing the government to mobilise all available resources, suspend distractions, and make security the foremost priority until stability is restored.
Obi further recommended that government officials suspend foreign travels, insisting that effective leadership demands physical presence to coordinate the fight against insecurity. He remarked that “investors will not come into a war zone,” stressing that “no nation can prosper while its citizens live under siege.”
Drawing parallels with Somalia and Libya, where unchecked violence led to national collapse, Obi called for urgent and courageous action to avert Nigeria’s slide into anarchy.
In his post, he wrote: “Bloody Weekend: over 100 Killed in Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, Edo.
“The killing of eight NSCDC officers, the abduction of a Chinese national in Edo, the kidnapping of passengers on the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road, and the slaughter of five soldiers and 58 civilians in Borno are not isolated tragedies. They 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. This is no longer business as usual. It is 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.
“Even foreign trips by government officials should be put on hold until the situation is brought under control. True leadership must be seen at home, personally coordinating the war against insecurity. Junketing around the world under the pretence of wooing investors, while the country bleeds, is to live in denial. Investors will not come into a war zone.
“No nation can prosper while its citizens live under siege. History shows that insecurity is the quickest path to national collapse. Somalia and Libya stand 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. A new Nigeria is possible.”
Obi’s warning followed President Bola Tinubu’s departure from Abuja for Europe on Thursday for a 10-working-day leave, leaving intensifying security concerns unresolved as violence spreads across several states.
