ABUJA: A retired Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, has linked Nigeria’s worsening insecurity to the absence of effective governance in many parts of the country.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Ojukwu argued that bandits and other criminal groups thrive because governance structures have collapsed in several communities, leaving residents vulnerable and forcing them to rely on criminals as an alternative authority.
There must be the political will to stop instability and deliver good governance to the people, Ojukwu said. Some of these bad elements are operating because there is lack of governance in the areas where they are, so they became the alternative.
The former commissioner warned that insecurity continues partly because it serves the interests of certain political elites, stressing that without genuine commitment from leaders, the crisis will persist.
He also urged Nigerians to reflect on the nation’s value system, cautioning against the glorification of wealth obtained through questionable means.
The end should be judged by the means. Somebody has too much money, he throws it around, people hail him, he becomes a mentor. A bad person cannot be my mentor, Ojukwu stated.
In recent weeks, insecurity has escalated across several states, with killings, abductions, and terrorist attacks intensifying. Just last weekend, more than 100 people were killed in coordinated assaults across Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, and Edo States.
Among the casualties were eight personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), five soldiers, and dozens of civilians.
In Edo, gunmen abducted a Chinese national and kidnapped passengers along the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road.
The spate of violence has drawn strong reactions nationwide. Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, described the situation as a full-blown security emergency” and called on the Federal Government to declare a national war on insecurity.
“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, Obi warned.
It is time to mobilise every resource, every agency, every state, and suspend all distractions while reclaiming our nation from lawlessness.”
Ojukwu echoed similar sentiments, stressing that addressing insecurity demands both strong governance and moral reorientation among the populace. He maintained that as long as corruption and money worship dominate Nigerian society, banditry and other crimes will continue to flourish.
