Our Reporter, Abuja
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has defended calls for foreign intervention in Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, saying the Federal Government has failed to protect citizens from relentless killings by terrorists and bandits.
“My brothers and sisters, I come to you today with a heavy heart. Nigeria is being killed. Nigerians are being killed every day—no matter what religion you belong to, no matter where you come from, no matter what profession you practice. We are tired of being killed. Our government seems incapable of protecting us,” he said.
He dismissed arguments that the pattern of attacks should be viewed through ethnic or religious lenses, insisting that every life lost is a national shame.
“For anybody to say, ‘Because those who are being killed belong to this region, this religion, this tribe—and others too are being killed’—that cannot be an acceptable excuse. We can no longer afford excuses. Every Nigerian life that is lost is a shame for Nigeria. The killing must stop.”
Obasanjo explained that even before he left office, Nigeria already had the capacity to identify and locate criminals anywhere in the country, though extraction was limited by technology at the time. He said modern surveillance tools have eliminated that limitation.
“Now, in these days of technology—with satellite imaging, with drones, with surveillance—we have that capacity. You can take them out. Why are we not doing that? Why are we apologizing? Why are we negotiating with terrorists and bandits? No criminal should be beyond the reach of our security forces. Talking or negotiating with bandits is nonsensical—it only emboldens them.”
The former president said Nigerians have a right to seek help from the international community if the government continues to fail in its constitutional duty.
“If our government cannot do it—if our government cannot stop the killings—we, as Nigerians, have a right to appeal to the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us. We are part of the world community. We owe no one an apology for that.”
Issuing a direct challenge to President Bola Tinubu, Obasanjo added: “Mr. President, wipe out the bandits—or the people will call the international community. The situation has gone from bad to worse since the Chibok girls were abducted in 2014. We must face our constitutional responsibility: the security and welfare of the people.”
The former president spoke against the background of escalating killings, abductions, and other attacks on several communities in the North in recent weeks.
On November 21, a total of 315 students and 13 teachers were abducted from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
Recall also that terrorists kidnapped 26 schoolgirls at the Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, on November 17.
