Insecurity: Time to Confront the Monster

Davidson Iriekpen writes that it is time for President Bola Tinubu to begin to seriously address Nigeria’s security challenges as the constant loss of lives is simply unacceptable

After a working visit and retreat in France and London lasting 18 days, President Bola Tinubu last Monday returned to Abuja to face the mounting challenges confronting the country.

Tinubu departed Nigeria on April 2, 2025, for Paris on what the Presidency described as a short working visit. According to the official statement, the retreat was used to review the progress of ongoing reforms and to plan strategically ahead of Tinubu’s second anniversary in office. 

Unfortunately, the trip sparked criticism from the opposition and other Nigerians, who raised concerns about the president’s absence amid worsening insecurity in parts of Nigeria, particularly in Benue and Plateau states, where several deadly attacks have escalated.

They raised concerns over the frequent trips, accusing the president of being more interested in globetrotting than addressing the numerous pressing issues in the country.

The Presidency, however, countered critics, noting that as a leader working to bring foreign investments into the country, Tinubu couldn’t afford to sit back “when the harvest was out there.”

It defended the president’s trip, insisting that Tinubu has remained in constant communication with key officials and has been issuing directives to security agencies to tackle emerging threats across the country.

Just when Nigerians thought that the two weeks were coming to an end and that the president would soon return, on April 17, the Presidency issued another statement extending the trip, saying the president would return to the country to resume his official duties after the Easter holidays. 

Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, successive presidents have been attending every international conference or summit they are invited to outside the country.  On many occasions, the trips were taken to the detriment of urgent domestic issues that required the presence of the president.

Like his predecessors, President Tinubu is toeing a similar path. In less than two years in office, he has spent at least 59 days in eight separate visits to the European country since assumption of office on May 29, 2023.

Though many have argued that it is inevitable for any leader of a country to travel out to discuss bilateral or multilateral issues with his peers, they also insisted that he must balance the trips against national issues that require his attention at home.

It is not enough to always argue that the president they elected can work from anywhere. Nigerians want him to stay back at home and deal with problems confronting the country.

In fact, more criticisms came for the president following reports that he left Paris for London where he allegedly met with some key northern and southern figures to woo them ahead of the 2027 elections, when the focus should have been on how to tackle the insecurity plaguing the country.

In the two weeks that President Tinubu was away in France, about 250 persons were killed across the country. While 112 persons were killed in Plateau, hundreds were injured, with many displaced from their ancestral homes, and at least 80 houses razed.

The attacks put the number of deaths so far recorded in the state at about 3,000 since 2023 when the current administration took over the government.

In Benue, a total of 83 persons were killed. Governor Hyacinth Alia during his on-the-spot assessment tour of the Logo and Gbagir communities of Ukum Local Government Area, declared that the state was going through “a real war.”

Governor Alia added that the attackers are Malians and not Nigerians.

In Kebbi, Lakurawa terrorists attacked Morai village in Augie LGA, killing at least 13 vigilante members.

In Sokoto, 12 people were killed by bandits allegedly led by the notorious wanted kingpin, Bello Turji, during an attack on Lugu town in Isa LGA as the gunmen were returning from a Sallah visit to one of the communities. 

Every part of the country is dripping with blood.

In Kwara, Niger, Kebbi, Katsina, Borno and others, people are being killed.

So bad has the situation become that the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, in his Easter message to Nigerians, expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, saying that the country was slowly turning into a vast national morgue.

He lamented the scale of human suffering across the nation, describing the current climate as marked by “a culture of brutality and savagery never witnessed in the history of our dear country.”

Kukah used the metaphor of the crucifixion to illustrate the extent of national pain, calling on President Tinubu to urgently intervene and rescue citizens from what he termed “this cross of evil.”

Following his return, President Tinubu held a meeting with the service chiefs on Wednesday and gave them a marching orders to end the killings, according to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu.

However, Nigerians are used to such presidential orders, which have never yielded positive results since the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The primary responsibility of any government is securing the lives and property of its citizens. Nigerians cannot continue to witness these ceaseless bloodbaths that have continued unabated.

No doubt insecurity threatens Nigeria to its foundation. People cannot go to their farms to feed themselves and their families, and also supply food to the country.  Food security is under serious threat.

With massive insecurity in the country, foreign investments are under threat.

This should worry the both the federal and state governments more than the politicking they are currently engaging in ahead of the 2027 elections. 

Many have posited that a caring president should have told  the governors and members of his party that it is too early to be embarking on political activities.

Throughout the eight years of the administration of President Buhari, there was no concerted effort to address the killings in the country despite pressure from local and international observers.

It is disheartening that under President Tinubu, the federal government has not taken deliberate steps to handle the situation differently and save the people from incessant attacks.

It is not enough to say the people should learn to leave in peace. Leave in peace with who – terrorists or foreigners?

It is time for President Tinubu, the NSA, Service Chiefs, the governors and all who are saddled with the responsibility of securing the citizens to think outside the box and find a solution to end the persistent carnage in the country.

Many have argued that a president who travels frequently and excessively, neglects security reports, and takes a cavalier approach has failed in his duty and responsibility of protecting lives.

Since President Tinubu reconstituted and reconfigured the nation’s military architecture – a move widely seen as a sign of his seriousness in combating these agents of darkness – little progress has been made to tackle the monster. Not a single attacker has been paraded to convince Nigerians that the government is on top of the situation, fuelling speculations of conspiracy.

Despite the president’s repeated orders for troops to pursue suspected terrorists responsible for these mass killings of people across the country, Nigerians are yet to see any significant improvement.

It is high time the federal government took decisive action to address the insecurity plaguing the country. The herdsmen and others perpetrating the killing cannot remain untouchable. It is no longer enough for President Tinubu to merely express sadness and order actions to bring the perpetrators to justice; he must hold security agents to account.