Former vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recently declared national security emergency, describing it as fundamentally flawed and disconnected from the root causes of Nigeria’s insecurity.
Speaking on Arise News, Baba-Ahmed dismissed the President’s security strategy, stating: “He has missed the point completely. This declaration of a state of emergency is a joke. Leave it at that.”
The former running mate to Labour Party’s Peter Obi took particular issue with the administration’s plan to recruit and rapidly train thousands of additional security personnel, arguing that Nigeria’s security challenges stem not from insufficient manpower but from systemic corruption.
“It is not about numbers. It is about reducing corruption in the war against insecurity itself,” Baba-Ahmed said. “How much of the money budgeted for security is actually going to the war, and how much is going into 2027 elections? Once you remove that corruption, Nigeria will become secure.”
He contended that existing security forces, particularly the police, possess adequate capacity to address the nation’s security threats if freed from political manipulation and corrupt practices.
“Remove the Nigerian armed forces. The Nigerian Police alone can wipe out insecurity in two months. Remove corruption, remove political interest, give them support, they will do it,” he declared.
Baba-Ahmed characterized the government’s approach as misguided and wasteful, suggesting that resources allocated for security are being diverted for political purposes rather than addressing genuine security concerns.
Offering a broader assessment of the Tinubu administration, he warned: “This government is skating on thin ice. The ice is so thin you cannot believe it. We are in a precarious situation.”
The criticism comes amid heightened public concern over escalating kidnappings, banditry, and terrorist attacks across multiple states, which prompted President Tinubu’s declaration of a security emergency and authorization for expanded recruitment into the police and armed forces.
