…we have Strong laws, weak institutions – Deputy Speaker
…24,000 violent incidents, 9,500 deaths in 2024 – House Leader
…Nigeria operating under a complete war against humanity — Doguwa 
By Gloria Ikibah
Nigeria’s deteriorating security crisis took centre stage in a tense special plenary session of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, with lawmakers issuing some of the most searing, self-critical assessments heard in the chamber in years.
Members warned that the country is “slipping,” institutions are failing, and Parliament must confront its own responsibility in rescuing the nation.
House Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda opened with a stark observation that Nigerians now “travel with fear, pray until their relatives arrive,” and live under a government that has failed in its most basic constitutional duty.
“If we cannot protect the lives and property of Nigerians as enshrined in our constitution, are we worthy to continue to sit as a parliament?” he asked.
Rep. Chinda emphasised that insecurity could not be resolved without unity.
“We cannot fight this battle without unity. Yes, there are religious killings. The answer is yes. But is that the major cause of insecurity? The answer is no. We must stop painting this problem with one brush”, he added.
He listed political violence, porous borders, economic dislocation and extremist ideology as driving factors, warning that politicians themselves had “imported people across our unprotected borders” for electoral gains.
The Minority Leader proposed the creation of a National Border Force backed by modern technology, alongside state or community policing, and demanded a closed-door session with all security chiefs: “We must tell them the feelings of Nigerian people. My heart is heavy for Nigeria.
The Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu argued that Nigeria’s collapse in security is rooted more in legislative and institutional failure than military weakness.
“Nigeria possesses strong deterrence laws. What we suffer is weak institutional implementation, inadequate funding, lack of transparency, and misalignment between policy and execution,” he said.
He cited surging banditry, growing parallel governance structures, mass kidnappings of schoolchildren and worshippers, and rising international concern, including the U.S. designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
Kalu criticised the practice of negotiating with criminal gangs: “Despite life imprisonment and death penalty for kidnapping, the practise continues because government entities negotiate with bandits and pay ransom. Amnesty deals embolden these groups”.
He called for legislation banning “unstructured ransom negotiations,” improving transparency in police funding, and establishing a legal framework for military drone operations.
“A police force that cannot plan beyond the next pay cheque cannot protect this nation,” he warned.
Kalu supported decentralised policing, noting: “State police is not a silver bullet, but it is a necessary evolution of our federal system.”
House Leader Julius Ihonvbere delivered a sobering statistical overview, declaring: “Nigeria now records over 24,000 violent incidents a year.”
“Today, we face multifaceted security threats. Mortalities remain high, reaching up to 9,500 in 2024. Nigeria is ranked the sixth most impacted country by terrorism globally,” he said.
He warned that “over 24,000 violent incidents were recorded between December 2023 and November 2024,” noting that banditry in the North-West has morphed into organised terrorism, while Boko Haram and ISWAP remain resilient in the North-East. More than 1.5 million Nigerians remain in IDP camps.
While acknowledging government efforts in troop deployments, airstrikes, technology acquisition, and mass surrenders, he argued they remain inadequate without a stronger non-kinetic strategy.
“Some communities and individuals are involved in encouraging insecurity. Arrests, prosecutions, rehabilitation and reintegration must be strengthened,” Ihonvbere said.
He added that Nigeria’s instability is increasingly threatening the wider West African sub-region.
In one of the session’s most impassioned interventions, Rep. Ado Doguwa declared that “Nigeria is operating under a complete war against humanity.”
Mindful of how his fiery remarks might be perceived, he prefaced his comments repeatedly.
“I am of the APC extraction from Kano State. I say this because I don’t want anyone out there to mistake me for the opposition.
“I am speaking today as an APC member, but with a particular concern,” he said.
Though acknowledging government efforts, Doguwa issued a blunt verdict: “Yes, the government is doing its best. The security agencies are doing their best. But their best is NOT good enough.”
He described the situation as “horrific,” “tragic,” “devastating,” and “unspeakable,” saying northern communities now live “in serious tension, fear and despair.”
“Today, Nigeria is operating under a complete war against humanity. War in the north, war in the west, war in the east, and war down south.”
He urged lawmakers to consider a dramatic protest: “If the government is not prepared to do the right thing, I urge this House to stand up and pay the supreme cost — shut this House down and declare a legislative emergency until the right thing is done.”
He argued there was no point legislating when the nation was “running in blood and tears,” with farmers unable to farm, traders scared to trade, and worshippers unsafe in churches and mosques.
“With 2027 approaching,” he warned, “how do we have peaceful polls if our communities are plunged into crisis?”
He added that kidnappings in his constituency had worsened to the extent that the once-renowned Kogor Game Reserve had become “an extension of Sambisa Forest.”
Leader of the South-South caucus, Rep. Victor Nwokolo, painted a grim picture of killings and kidnappings in Delta and neighbouring states.
“You go to the police, they say their vehicles are never around because they don’t have what it takes to match the criminals,” he said.
He accused some local residents of aiding kidnappers: “The indigenous people driving Okada or Keke are also part of our problem. They give information to kidnappers, they buy their food, they run errands for them.”
He called for a sweeping moral and social renewal, warning against sending security personnel to areas where they cannot speak the local language: “Without understanding the local language, you cannot penetrate the syndicate.”
Nwokolo proposed funding community vigilantes directly from local government allocations and involving the private sector in key road repairs to curb highway abductions.
“The number of kidnappings recorded between Lokoja and Okene is worrisome. The government must take immediate decisions,” he urged
Responding to Doguwa’s call for Parliament to suspend activities, Deputy Speaker Kalu cautioned against any move that could inflame public sentiment.
“No problem is too big for the parliament to handle. We will not shut the parliament. We are the solution to the nation,” he said.
He conceded that insecurity now pervades the entire southern region outside Lagos, adding: “There is no part of Nigeria you can say is safe.”
