Hundreds of young Nigerians took to the streets of the Federal Capital Territory, including the National Assembly area, on Tuesday, staging a peaceful yet resolute protest march to demand immediate and decisive government action against the worsening security crisis across the nation.
The demonstrators marched from the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to the gates of the National Assembly. Carrying placards and chanting patriotic songs, the youths lamented the daily loss of lives, mass kidnappings, and the economic paralysis caused by unchecked banditry and terrorism.
The demonstration highlights growing public frustration with the country’s security architecture, with organisers warning that the crisis has escalated beyond a mere law enforcement issue to become a fundamental threat to Nigeria’s corporate existence and democratic stability.
Addressing journalists at the gates of the National Assembly, the convener of the rally, Isah Abubakar, stated that the security challenges plaguing the nation transcend political, religious, and ethnic divides.
He noted that bandits do not consider the political affiliations or religious beliefs of their victims before striking.
“There are major highways in this country where, once it is 5:00 PM, nobody dares to travel,” Abubakar said. “The citizens who are trapped, kidnapped, or killed on these roads are not just members of the APC, PDP, ADC, NDC, or PRP, they are Nigerians. The bandits are completely non-selective. They do not care about your religion, tribe, political party, or traditions.
This is a collective tragedy affecting us all.”
Abubakar argued that the primary purpose of government is to ensure the security and welfare of the people, asserting that citizens have both a constitutional right and a moral duty to demand accountability from their leaders.
“It is our responsibility as citizens to hold those charged with protecting lives and property accountable and tell them that enough is enough,” he continued. “It is time to deliver real security. We need to protect our children and stop our women from being subjected to horrific assaults in their homes and on their farms. We cannot continue to surrender our forests and rural communities to criminal elements who have absolutely no regard for human life.
We demand proactivity and absolute sincerity of purpose from our leaders.”
Also speaking at the rally, co-convener Austin Okhai made a direct appeal to Nigeria’s retired military and intelligence elite.
He urged former service chiefs, retired directors of the Department of State Services (DSS), former Inspectors-General of Police (IGP), and retired leaders of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to break their silence and offer practical solutions to the current administration.
“We are calling on our former military and security leaders to step forward and collaborate. We must secure the country first before we can talk about politics,” Okhai said.
Okhai warned that if the security situation continues to deteriorate, it could eventually derail the nation’s democratic processes. He pointed out that political participation becomes difficult in an atmosphere of pervasive fear.
“No political party can successfully hold a rally or mobilise voters if the people they are gathering cannot return home safely,” he argued. “This is why supporters of all political leanings, whether APC, PDP, NDC, ‘Obidients,’ ‘Atikulates,’ or ‘Kwankwasiyas’, must find a common voice to speak out against terror.”
To underscore the non-partisan nature of the threat, Okhai pointed to the recent abduction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Kebbi State.
“Even in a state controlled by the ruling party, the state party chairman is currently in the hands of bandits. This proves that no one is safe. It is a disservice to the nation that our highly experienced former security chiefs remain silent while the country burns.”
The protesters also placed responsibility on federal lawmakers, urging the National Assembly to utilise its oversight powers to hold the military and police hierarchy accountable for the trillions of naira budgeted for security.
“The National Assembly has a constitutional mandate to demand strict accountability. That is the essence of democratic checks and balances,” Okhai stated.
However, he also acknowledged the role of citizens in supporting security agencies, warning against shielding criminals.
“Collaboration is a two-way street. If security agents come to a community to apprehend a suspect and the locals hide the culprit, we cannot expect magic.”
Turning to the ongoing national debate over the creation of state police and forest guards, Okhai cautioned that decentralising security forces without proper funding and equipment would be counterproductive.
“The only leverage these bandits have over our communities is their weaponry. If we create state police or forest guards but fail to train and equip them properly, we are sending them to their deaths,” he warned, citing a recent incident in Kwara State.
