Former Kano State Governor and vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has called for an urgent overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture.
He warned that rising insecurity continues to threaten lives and livelihoods despite huge government spending on the sector.
In a statement shared on X on Tuesday, Kwankwaso expressed concern over the growing wave of banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, communal clashes and armed robbery across several parts of the country.
“I have noted with grave concern the escalating wave of insecurity that has engulfed our beloved nation. Once again, Nigeria is bleeding profusely,” he said.
The former governor cited states such as Zamfara, Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, Kwara and Oyo as some of the areas affected by violence, lamenting that many citizens can no longer sleep with both eyes closed.
Kwankwaso also raised alarm over what he described as the increasing boldness of criminal groups, accusing them of openly mocking authorities and spreading fear among the public through social media.
“What is most alarming is the audacity of these criminals, who now brazenly hold live sessions on social media to taunt the authorities and terrorise the public. This is totally unacceptable and not befitting of a sovereign nation like ours,” he stated.
Drawing from his experience as a former governor and defence minister, Kwankwaso argued that Nigeria’s security challenges could be overcome with strong leadership and effective community engagement.
“As someone who has served this country at various levels, including as Governor of Kano State and Minister of Defence, where we confronted and significantly reduced security challenges through decisive leadership and community engagement, I remain convinced that insecurity is not insurmountable,” he said.
According to him, the major problem is not a shortage of resources but the lack of sufficient political will to tackle insecurity decisively.
He maintained that despite significant budgetary allocations to the security sector, the current approach has failed to produce the desired results, while innocent lives continue to be lost and thousands of families remain displaced.
Kwankwaso urged authorities to improve the welfare and motivation of security personnel, strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance community policing and address the root causes of insecurity.
“We must immediately prioritise the welfare and motivation of our gallant security personnel, strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance community policing, and, most crucially, tackle the root causes of this crisis; poverty, mass unemployment, and poor governance,” he said.
He also called for greater investment in education, healthcare, infrastructure, electricity, agriculture, skills acquisition and job creation, saying such measures would help reduce poverty and unemployment, which contribute to insecurity.
