Declare national emergency, save Nigeria from growing terror threat – Kalejaye tells Tinubu

Asiwaju Kunle Kalejaye (SAN), a prominent lawyer based in Ibadan, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a national emergency to address banditry, kidnapping, and all forms of terrorism in Nigeria.

In his Democracy Day address, Kalejaye described the ongoing wave of terror as a national embarrassment for both the government and the people of Nigeria, and he warned that it could damage the country’s reputation abroad.

The senior advocate called for decisive, far‑reaching measures to stop the escalating security crisis before it erodes the foundations of Nigeria’s security architecture. He argued that a lack of swift action could further undermine public confidence in security institutions, especially the Nigerian Army, which may be seen as ineffective against criminal elements.

Kalejaye noted that trust in the military has already suffered, partly because bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal groups increasingly disguise themselves in military uniforms while carrying out attacks. He warned that without urgent steps, the prestige and integrity of the armed forces could continue to decline, exposing military personnel and symbols to ridicule and distrust.

While acknowledging the government’s efforts to combat insecurity, the legal icon said those efforts would likely yield limited results without a clear national declaration that demonstrates Nigeria’s collective resolve to confront and eliminate terrorism.

He stressed that declaring a national emergency on terror would send a strong message that the nation unequivocally rejects violence and is prepared to deploy all available resources to defeat it.

Kalejaye urged the federal government to develop and implement concrete strategies to crush terrorist activities, warning that perpetrators have become increasingly audacious. “Their operations are no longer confined to remote communities but are now extending into major towns and cities. Celebrating democracy in an environment where law and order are constantly threatened by insecurity diminishes the essence of democratic governance and projects a negative image of the country,” he said. “The protection of lives and property remains one of the foremost constitutional responsibilities of any government,” he added.

He argued that effective security management requires proactive measures rather than reactive responses, including early identification of threats to national security and neutralizing them before they become too powerful to contain.

Kalejaye insisted that President Tinubu must immediately declare a national emergency on terrorism and related crimes, asserting that such a move would demonstrate Nigeria’s total abhorrence of these acts and its determination to eradicate them. “It is left to President Tinubu to save our nation at this perilous time,” he stated.