Fix Insecurity Or Step Aside – Reps Tell Tinubu

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives yesterday called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to either refocus governance on tackling national security challenges and economic hardship or step aside, warning that Nigeria is facing what it described as deepening insecurity, judicial controversy, and democratic backsliding ahead of the 2027 elections.

The lawmakers also called on the president to suspend political activities for his reelection and squarely address the rising security challenges and economic problems facing the country.

Minority Leader of the House, Fred Agbedi, made the call during a press conference by opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly, Abuja, where they accused the administration of prioritising politics over urgent national challenges.

Daily Trust reports that the call by the opposition lawmakers is coming on the heels of the escalating security challenges across the country including the recent mass abductions of Borno and Oyo schoolchildren who are still in captivity; the kidnapping of pupils in Kogi and the death of a former military spokesperson, Major-General Abubakar Rabe (Retd) in kidnappers’ den, among others.

Communities across states such as Plateau, Kwara, Niger, Benue, Sokoto and Zamfara had witnessed attacks and killings by bandits leading to displacements of hundreds of residents.

On Tuesday, Nigeria’s top Muslim and Catholic leaders expressed concern over the country’s security situation, jointly urging the federal government to take urgent steps to curb persistent killings, kidnappings and other violent crimes.

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), made the calls in separate statements and public remarks.

The opposition lawmakers, while adding their voice to the country’s growing security challenges, stressed that Nigeria was “at the brink”, calling on the president to take swift measures to address the situation.

“President Tinubu must suspend all 2027 political activities and declare a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan. Lead or leave. Nigeria is bleeding. Nigeria is confused. And Nigeria is being deliberately pushed to the brink by a government that has elevated 2027 electioneering above the lives and welfare of citizens,” Agbedi said while presenting the position of the caucus.

The caucus insisted that governance had taken a back seat to political calculations and particularly condemned the recent death of the retired General, who was abducted with his wife along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, describing it as a national disgrace and evidence of worsening insecurity.

“That a General of the Nigerian Army, who once commanded troops and defended this nation, could be kidnapped alongside his wife and later declared dead under unclear circumstances is a grave indictment of a failed state,” Agbedi said.

He warned that the incident had further eroded public confidence in the state’s ability to protect citizens.

“If a General is not safe within the borders of our nation, then who truly is?” he asked.

The caucus also criticised what it called a lack of a clear counter-insurgency strategy, arguing that bandit groups were now operating with increasing boldness across several regions.

“Our security is in the mud. Yet, the political class is busy rehearsing new political dance steps, seemingly unbothered,” Agbedi added.

The Minority Caucus also raised concerns over the continued captivity of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, describing the situation as a collapse of state responsibility.

“As we speak, school children and their teachers abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity. Their crime? Going to school in Nigeria,” Agbedi said.

He described the situation as “the normalisation of evil,” adding that government responses had been inadequate.

“This is the new normal under this administration: mass abductions without consequences, terrorists dictating terms, and a government that issues statements instead of results,” he said.

The lawmakers demanded urgent actions, insisting that “each hour these children spend with terrorists is an hour stolen from Nigeria’s future.”

‘Deregistration ruling an attempt to weaken opposition’

The caucus also reacted to a recent Federal High Court judgment involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that it was part of a broader attempt to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls.

“This judgment… appears to be a deliberate ploy to engender judicial chaos weaponised to destabilise the polity,” Agbedi said.

He further alleged that the ruling was politically motivated, describing it as “rascality taken too far” and “a calculated attempt to muscle legitimate opposition out of the race for the 2027 Presidency.”

“We cannot stand aloof and watch Nigerians being kidnapped and killed daily while the system is busy manufacturing political confusion,” he added.

The caucus called on the judiciary and INEC to safeguard democratic processes, warning against actions that could undermine political pluralism.

The lawmakers also decried worsening economic conditions, citing inflation, insecurity and rising poverty across the country.

“From Sokoto to Enugu, from Borno to Lagos, the story is the same: hunger, killings, kidnappings, collapse of the naira, collapse of hope,” Agbedi said.

He accused the political leadership under the current administration of focusing on election preparations instead of governance.

“What preoccupies the ruling party and the Presidency is 2027; endorsement rallies, defections, re-election strategies,” he said.

The Minority Caucus called for an overhaul of the national security architecture, a coordinated rescue operation for abducted Oyo school children, and an investigation into the killing of General Rabe.

It also sought the intervention of the Chief Justice of Nigeria in conflicting court rulings involving political parties.

“We will not accept a 2027 election rigged before it begins,” Agbedi warned.

The lawmakers further demanded that President Tinubu suspend political activities and focus on governance.

The caucus insisted it would continue to hold the government accountable through legislative means.

The Reps condemned what they termed a move to use the courts to asphyxiate the opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The attempt to kill opposition parties through judicial ambush, to ignore mass killings while chasing a second term, and to normalise the abduction of children is a declaration of war against Nigerians,” Agbedi said.

“Earlier this week, in a move that reeks of political mischief, a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five opposition political parties.

“This judgment, coming only months to the country’s general elections and after a subsisting Appeal Court decision on the same matter, is not intended to serve justice. Instead, it appears to be a deliberate ploy to engender judicial chaos weaponised to destabilise the polity. For us as a Caucus, this is rascality taken too far, and a danger to participatory democracy.

“Let us be clear: We consider Justice Lifu’s judgement as a calculated attempt to muscle legitimate opposition out of the race for the 2027 Presidency.

“Indeed, we remain at odds in fathoming whose justice, Justice Lifu is serving, in overlooking INEC’s submission made during the pendency of the case, to the effect that the affected parties had satisfied the requirements of the law by winning elective positions in previous elections.

“Wittingly or unwittingly, by design or not, this latest judicial gambit only adds to the growing list of hurdles which our country’s political parties have had to confront in order to be able to present candidates for the  2027 general elections.

“We wonder, for instance, whether it is by mere happenstance that the convener and alter ego of the plaintiffs in this matter is someone holed up in the sanctuary of the presidential villa as aide to President Tinubu’s chief of staff.

“From external manipulations and executive meddlesomeness that kept old political structures polarised, to the attempt to truncate new alliances through institutional bottlenecks, such as the refusal to register new political parties, and strict guidelines by the electoral umpire, the whole goal has been: muscle all credible opposition out of the 2027 contest.

“To Nigerians: do not despair. 2027 will not be decided in Aso Rock or by courts. It will be decided by you, the people,” he added.

National security must come first, Dangiwa Umar tells Tinubu

Also, a former military governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), has urged President Tinubu to prioritise national security, saying it was one of the key ideals that motivated officers who opposed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

In an open letter to the President, Umar said the officers who risked their lives during the pro-democracy struggle viewed the protection of citizens as the primary responsibility of any government.

He was reacting to Tinubu’s Democracy Day address in which the president acknowledged that Nigeria’s democracy remains a work in progress, particularly in the area of security.

He said, “What those officers envisaged when they put their lives on the line back in 1993, was, for want of a better word, ambitious.

“In fact, they took the security of our citizens as a given; a raison de’tre, a minimum condition for the existence of any government, democracy or not. If national security is missing, that would be the end of the discussion; nothing else matters. Nothing!”

The retired army officer said the June 12 struggle was not only about restoring democracy but also about building institutions capable of guaranteeing justice, accountability and citizens’ welfare.

He said those involved in the struggle envisioned a democracy founded on separation of powers, an independent judiciary, credible elections and economic policies that promote productivity and improve living conditions.

He also stressed the need for a sustained fight against poverty, especially among the most vulnerable Nigerians.

Umar, however, commended Tinubu for recognising military officers and other pro-democracy activists who played significant roles in resisting the annulment of the June 12 election.

He urged the president to ensure that the ideals that inspired the struggle become the foundation of government policies so that the sacrifices made by many Nigerians would not be in vain.

“Mr president, as a long-standing advocate of equity, equality, transparency and inclusion, many of us saw no reason to doubt your commitment towards a better future and a renewed hope for all Nigerians as enshrined in chapter two of our Constitution.

“So, in order that the sacrifices that those officers and other Nigerians made towards the achievement of the June 12th struggle do not go in vain, I advocate that those ideals become once again the cornerstone of your national policies,” he said.

NHRC: 390 killed, 202 kidnapped in May

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has disclosed that 390 people were killed and 202 others kidnapped across Nigeria in May 2026.

The commission also said it received 268,787 complaints during the month, reflecting growing insecurity and social challenges in the country.

Presenting the commission’s May Human Rights Situation Dashboard in Abuja, the Executive Secretary, Dr Tony Ojukwu, described the period as one of the most troubling moments for human rights in recent times.

“May 2026 has been a devastating month for human rights in Nigeria,” he said, noting that the scale of violations highlighted the fragile state of human rights protection nationwide.

He said civilians were killed in several attacks, school children were abducted, worshippers came under attack, and security personnel lost their lives in the line of duty.

The commission expressed concern over increasing attacks on schools, citing the abduction of more than 45 pupils and teachers in Oyo State and over 40 schoolchildren in Borno State.

Ojukwu said such incidents undermined children’s right to education and raised concerns about school safety across the country.

The NHRC also condemned attacks on religious communities, including an incident in Kwara State in which worshippers were killed and 15 others abducted during prayers.

The commission further expressed concern over reports of civilian casualties during military operations, including an alleged airstrike on a market in Tumfa, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. It called for the adoption of a National Policy for the Protection of Civilians in Conflict.

While condemning attacks on military formations and security personnel, the NHRC urged the government to strengthen civilian protection measures, improve school safety and provide support for victims.

Despite the challenges, the commission commended security forces for rescuing abducted victims and neutralising terrorists in parts of the country.

Gov’t moves against terrorists, bandits

Amidst the recurring attacks, the Tinubu-led administration has repeatedly expressed its commitment to stamp out terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes across the country.

In his national broadcast marking Nigeria’s Democracy Day, President Tinubu noted that though the recent kidnappings of school children overshadowed this year’s celebrations, security remained the priority of his government.

He announced the recruitment of more than 50,000 new police officers and a record allocation of N5.41tn to defence and security in the 2026 budget, adding that thousands of new military recruits had been approved.

The president said that the military had killed 13,000 “terrorists” in the past year, while civilian deaths as a result of insurgents were down by 81% since 2015.

He stated that more than 124,000 fighters and their dependents had also laid down their arms under the Operation Safe Corridor initiative.

“To bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror: Surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State. These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians.

“At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity. We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history. We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation,” Tinubu added. (Daily trust)