Adams Oshiomhole says President Bola Tinubu has been taking deliberate steps to stabilise Nigeria’s security landscape and that the country is no longer in the condition it was before the APC took power in 2015.
He pointed to the period when Boko Haram controlled numerous local government areas in the northeast and even forced the postponement of national elections, arguing that the contrast with today shows that progress has been made, even if the insecurity problem remains.
Oshiomhole highlighted the rise in terrorism convictions but questioned why some judges impose light sentences despite laws prescribing harsher punishments. He insisted that judges cannot grant forms of clemency that only the President is legally empowered to give.
He attributed part of the recent improvements to stronger intelligence gathering and tighter coordination from the Office of the National Security Adviser. He added that Tinubu demonstrated his seriousness by replacing service chiefs and directing them to adopt more aggressive strategies.
Oshiomhole also said Tinubu instructed the Inspector General of Police to recruit 30,000 additional officers so policing duties can be handled by the police rather than the military. He explained that the Senate, after the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi, advised the President to begin the process of boosting the armed forces with 100,000 more personnel.
He argued that Nigeria’s fast-growing population makes expansion of the security agencies unavoidable. While acknowledging that insecurity has not been fully eliminated, he maintained that arrests are being made, convictions are increasing, and the President is actively responding to the crisis.
