Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (Rtd.), has called for greater collaboration among government, institutions and citizens to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, stressing that lasting peace cannot be achieved through government efforts alone.
Speaking on Tuesday, July 28, at the First Daily 6th Anniversary Annual Public Lecture in Abuja, Irabor said the country’s security crisis requires the impartial and non-partisan involvement of all stakeholders.
Citing data from SBM Intelligence, the retired army general said 4,722 Nigerians were abducted in 997 separate incidents between 2024 and June 2025, with families paying a total of ₦2.57 billion in ransom to secure the release of their loved ones.
“I mention these figures not to dramatise the situation,” he said. “I say them because this conversation must begin with an honest reckoning.”
Irabor noted that the scale of insecurity prompted President Bola Tinubu, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to declare a state of emergency on security in November 2025.
According to him, the declaration was an appropriate response to the prevailing circumstances, but he stressed that the actions taken since then require stronger support and renewed momentum to achieve more meaningful results.
“Given the gravity of the impact, Mr. President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, declared a state of emergency on security in November 2025. This, in my view, is the fit and proper thing to do under the current circumstances,” he said.
He, however, added that “the actions and tempo of activities since that declaration demand value-added support and assistance in order to yield greater dividends in our quest for a more secure and prosperous nation.”
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The former defence chief argued that the complexities of statecraft demand the active participation of all Nigerians, irrespective of their political or socio-economic backgrounds.
“The complexities of the theory and practice of statecraft compel the progressive, impartial and apolitical involvement of all stakeholders in seeking solutions to the country’s existential challenges,” he said.
“In this respect, every citizen of Nigeria, irrespective of socio-political and socio-economic persuasions, must be interested in the search for solutions.”
Irabor said it was on that premise that he presented his views during the public lecture, urging Nigerians to embrace a shared responsibility in confronting the country’s security challenges.
First Daily reports that Nigeria has continued to grapple with insecurity across several regions, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and communal violence.
Security experts have repeatedly argued that military operations alone are insufficient, calling for stronger cooperation among government, communities, civil society and other stakeholders to achieve lasting peace.