The Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide security emergency, arguing that the Federal Government’s approach fails to address the root causes of insecurity.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed said the administration had “missed the point” by prioritising mass recruitment into security agencies rather than confronting the entrenched corruption weakening the system.
President Tinubu recently declared a security emergency following a surge in banditry, kidnappings and rural attacks. He also directed the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force to recruit thousands of new personnel, including an additional 20,000 police officers, to enhance counter-terrorism and public safety efforts.
However, Baba-Ahmed dismissed the emphasis on recruitment as misplaced. According to him, insecurity in Nigeria persists not because of manpower shortages, but because corruption and political interference continue to undermine security operations.
“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,” he said.
He maintained that a reformed and fully empowered police force could address banditry and terrorism without over-reliance on the military.
“If you remove corruption and political interests, the Nigerian police can wipe out insecurity in two months,” he asserted.
Baba-Ahmed also criticised Tinubu’s advisory urging state governments to reconsider establishing boarding schools in remote or poorly secured areas. The President issued the warning after recent mass abductions of students and teachers in Niger, Kebbi and other states.
Describing the directive as dangerous, Baba-Ahmed said limiting school development in rural communities would embolden criminals and impede national progress.
“Discouraging education in vulnerable communities is wrong. We should be expanding access, not reducing it,” he said, adding that teachers and students already face immense risks in high-threat regions.
His remarks come amid heightened national concern over rising attacks, renewed mass kidnappings and uncertainty surrounding the overall direction of the government’s security strategy.