JOS: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has firmly rejected calls for any form of negotiation with bandits, insisting that the Federal Government must adopt a tougher approach and embrace international support to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Obasanjo delivered the message on Friday during the Plateau State Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival held in Jos, the state capital. He criticised the government for what he described as a pattern of apologies and negotiations with violent groups, warning that such moves only embolden criminal elements.
His comments come at a time when several communities across northern Nigeria continue to suffer from mass killings, kidnappings, and violent attacks.
Recent incidents include the abduction of 315 students and 13 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, on November 21. Just days earlier, 26 schoolgirls were taken from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.
In another attack, bandits stormed Palaita community in Shiroro LGA of Niger State, abducting 24 people, including pregnant women, from a rice farm. Similar incidents were recorded in Kano and Kwara between Monday night and Tuesday morning, where about 20 people were kidnapped.
These developments came only 24 hours after the release of 38 worshippers abducted from Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun, in Eruku, Kwara State, following negotiations between the government and their captors.
Speaking during the event in Jos, Obasanjo expressed deep frustration over the situation, saying Nigerians are increasingly unsafe and have a right to seek global assistance when the government fails to protect them.
We Nigerians are being killed, and our government seems incapable of protecting us. If our government cannot do it, we have the right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot,” he said.
Obasanjo noted that modern technology has made the fight against terrorism far more efficient than when he was in office.
He explained that Nigeria now has advanced surveillance and drone capabilities that can track and eliminate terrorists without ground combat.
Before I left government, we had the capacity to identify and locate criminals anywhere in Nigeria. What we lacked was the ability to strike without moving troops.
Today, we have drones that can take them out. So why are we apologising? Why are we negotiating?” he asked.
The former president emphasised the need for decisive action, insisting that sustained negotiations send the wrong message and undermine national security.
