Obi asks FG to declare war on insecurity, says Nigeria’s casualty figures rival countries at war

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has asked the federal government to declare a “national war on insecurity”, warning that Nigeria’s casualty figures now rival those of countries officially at war.

Obi’s statement came as a reaction to reports that more than 100 people were killed in violent attacks across Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, and Edo states over the weekend.

“Bloody Weekend: over 100 Killed in Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, Edo. This grim headline captures the frightening reality reflected in our weekend papers,” he wrote on X, on Sunday.

“The killing of eight NSCDC officers, the abduction of a Chinese national in Edo, the kidnapping of passengers on the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road, and the slaughter of five soldiers and 58 civilians in Borno are not isolated tragedies. They are stark evidence that Nigeria is in the grip of a full-blown security emergency.

“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.”

He extended condolences to the families of the victims, insisting that their killers must be “swiftly apprehended and brought to justice.”

Obi added that the government must suspend all distractions and mobilise every resources to confront the crisis.

“It is time to declare a national war on insecurity — to mobilise every resource, every agency, every state, and to suspend all distractions while we begin the process of reclaiming our nation from lawlessness,” he said.

The LP candidate also urged officials to halt foreign trips until the killings are brought under control.

“True leadership must be seen at home, personally coordinating the war against insecurity. Junketing around the world under the pretence of wooing investors, while the country bleeds, is to live in denial. Investors will not come into a war zone,” he said.

Obi warned that insecurity remains the fastest path to national collapse, citing Somalia and Libya as cautionary tales.

“We must act now, with urgency and courage, to prevent a total descent into anarchy and rebuild Nigeria into a safe, secure, and productive nation for all,” he added.