Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nationwide security emergency, insisting that the Federal Government’s strategy fails to address the real drivers of Nigeria’s insecurity.
Speaking on Arise News on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed argued that the administration “missed the point” by focusing on large-scale recruitment into security agencies rather than confronting the corruption, mismanagement, and political interference crippling the country’s security system.
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President Tinubu had recently declared a security emergency following a surge in banditry, kidnappings, and rural attacks across several states. As part of his directive, he ordered the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force to recruit thousands of additional personnel, including 20,000 new police officers, to boost counter-terrorism operations.
However, Baba-Ahmed dismissed the emphasis on numbers as ineffective. According to him, Nigeria is not suffering from a lack of manpower but from a deeply compromised security architecture where budgets meant for operations are diverted into private pockets.
He said:
- “It’s not about increasing personnel. The real issue is corruption within the security architecture. How much of the security budget is actually used to fight insecurity? How much ends up in private pockets or for political purposes? That is the problem.”
Baba-Ahmed further stated that a reformed and empowered Nigerian Police Force could tackle banditry and terrorism without excessive reliance on the military.
- “If you remove corruption and political interests, the Nigerian police can wipe out insecurity in two months,” he claimed.
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He also criticised Tinubu’s advice, urging state governments to reconsider building boarding schools in insecure rural areas, following recent mass abductions of students in Niger, Kebbi, and other states.
Describing the directive as dangerous, Baba-Ahmed said discouraging school development in remote communities would only embolden criminals and slow down national progress.
- “Discouraging education in vulnerable communities is wrong. We should be expanding access, not reducing it,” he warned.
His remarks come at a time of rising public concern over escalating attacks, mass kidnappings, and uncertainty surrounding the government’s overall security strategy.
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