Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a nationwide security emergency, arguing that the administration has “missed the point” in its approach to tackling insecurity.
In an interview with Arise News on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed said the plan to recruit tens of thousands of new security personnel rapidly reflects a misunderstanding of the root causes of terrorism and banditry. He insisted that corruption—not manpower—is the central issue.
“It is not about numbers. It is about reducing corruption in the war against insecurity itself,” he said. “The entire amount budgeted for security in this current budget—how much of that is actually going into the war, and how much is going into the 2027 elections? How much is going into private pockets? That is the problem.”
He asserted that the Nigeria Police could end terrorism and banditry “in two months” if insulated from corruption and political interference.
“Remove the Nigerian armed forces. The Nigerian police alone can wipe out insecurity and banditry… Remove that corruption, remove political interest, give them all the support they want. They will do it,” he said.
His remarks follow Tinubu’s directive for the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to expand recruitment, including an additional 20,000 police officers, bringing total new intakes to 50,000. The President said the measure was part of efforts to curb escalating attacks, kidnappings, and rural violence.
Baba-Ahmed also rejected Tinubu’s call for state governments to reconsider siting boarding schools in remote or vulnerable areas following recent mass abductions in several states. He warned that such guidance risks normalising the influence of armed groups on national policy.
“That is deadly. That is wrong. I wish President Tinubu can hear this very quickly,” he said. “He should encourage people to build. If I have money, I will build in the rural areas.”
He argued that restricting rural education undermines national development.
“We in the educational world, we’re fighting a war on behalf of the country that people don’t realise, and it’s as good as what the armed forces are doing,” he said. “For the commander-in-chief to say, stop building in rural areas… he has said something that is very wrong.”
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