Obasanjo says Nigerians entitled to seek international help amid worsening insecurity
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Nigerians are justified in seeking international intervention as the country grapples with a surge in violent attacks and kidnappings.
Speaking on Friday at a Christmas carol service in Jos, Plateau State, Obasanjo expressed deep concern over the escalating insecurity nationwide, describing the situation as alarming and unacceptable.
He highlighted recent high-profile security breaches, including the abduction of over 200 schoolchildren in separate incidents in Niger and Kebbi states, and a livestreamed attack on a church in Kwara State in which worshippers were kidnapped. In Borno, militants of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) ambushed a military convoy and captured Brigadier General M. Uba, who was later executed. Other states, including Zamfara, Sokoto, and Yobe, have also reported renewed killings and kidnappings.
Obasanjo criticised the federal government’s handling of the crisis, urging authorities to adopt a more decisive approach.
“No matter your religion, origin, or profession, Nigerians are being killed, and our government seems incapable of protecting us,” he said. “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 further urged the Bola Tinubu administration to abandon what he described as a pattern of “apologising” and “negotiating” with terrorists, insisting that only firm action could restore public confidence.
