Press Statement:
The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) is profoundly alarmed and gravely concerned by the rapidly worsening security situation in Nigeria. In just a few days, the country has descended further into chaos, marked by brazen mass abductions, targeted killings, and coordinated terror attacks across several states, including Kebbi, Zamfara, Kwara, Kano, Bauchi, Yobe, Sokoto, Borno, and Niger. What is unfolding is nothing short of a systematic assault on the sovereignty of our nation and the dignity of its people.
Nigeria has now recorded one of its most horrifying waves of abductions in recent history. Over 315 students and teachers have been forcefully abducted from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State—yet another brutal attack on our children, our future, and our collective hope. This tragedy has been followed by the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi, the killing of a police officer and a vigilante in Patigi, Kwara, as well as five additional police officers in Bauchi. Furthermore, eight members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were killed, with three others abducted by terrorists in Gwoza, Borno State. In Yobe State, one policeman was killed in an attack by terrorists in Geidam. Additionally, four rice farmers were murdered in an attack by terrorists in Kwara State’s Edu Local Government Area.
These attacks are compounded by the killing of top security operatives, including Brigadier General M. Uba, and the continued infiltration of terror infrastructure from Sambisa Forest to other regions—exposing a dangerous truth: Nigeria is steadily losing control of its internal security architecture.
For anyone to claim that “we are winning this war” is to publicly embrace delusion, dishonesty, or complicity. The current situation is not a temporary challenge; it is a national emergency. What confronts us is not just insecurity but a complete breakdown of intelligence coordination, operational capacity, and political will.
Schools have become battlegrounds. Communities are being emptied. Security personnel are hunted with impunity. Terrorists now operate with precision, intelligence, and confidence—an indication of insider collaboration and institutional failure.
Yet, instead of decisive action, Nigeria is served a cocktail of empty assurances, superficial reforms, and endless political theatrics. While citizens live in fear, political leaders embark on needless foreign trips, indulge in petty politicking, and display a shocking disconnect from the suffering across the country. Rural dwellers are now making their own deals with bandits and terrorists simply to survive.
While the emerging report of the release of victims from the recent attack and abduction of 37 worshippers in a church in Eruku, Kwara State may seem consoling, the report of about three persons killed during that attack and the trauma inflicted on the victims is a chilling reminder that even places of worship—symbols of peace and safety—are no longer spared from criminal invasion.
This is not governance; it is a catastrophic dereliction of duty. The government must now respond appropriately to rescue other victims of these dastardly acts across the states, just as those in Eruku, Kwara State, have been freed.
Whether these sustained attacks are part of an orchestrated attempt by external forces to destabilize Nigeria or a direct consequence of the government’s irresponsibility and failure to protect its citizens, the reality remains: the Nigerian state is failing in its most basic duty—securing lives and property. The lives and livelihoods of our citizens are no longer valued, dignified, or prioritized. These systematic and incessant attacks must be unequivocally condemned and decisively stopped.
The PRP, therefore, condemns these atrocities outright. We reject the normalization of terror, the steady erosion of state authority, and the abandonment of citizens to the mercy of criminals. We demand the following:
1. Although an order has been issued, we want to see the immediate withdrawal of nearly 100,000 policemen from VIP duties and their deployment to fight insurgency and banditry, as part of their core responsibility of internal security. The Inspector-General of Police should be held responsible for restoring the nation’s security within six months; if he fails, he should be replaced.
2. Mobilize, organize, empower, and integrate communities into the security architecture, as they possess vital human intelligence for tracking the movements and supply networks of criminal elements.
3. Establish an effective government presence in these communities through the provision of educational and employment opportunities for young people, thereby denying criminal elements a fertile recruitment ground for their nefarious objectives.
4. Immediately arrest and prosecute anyone, regardless of their status, found to have aided, abetted, supported, or provided cover for terror attacks. Those who threaten Nigeria’s unity must face justice now.
5. Cease all private negotiations or engagements with terror-linked groups or individuals, regardless of intent. Such actions undermine state authority and make non-state actors stakeholders in the security process. The government must take full responsibility for all official engagements relating to national security moving forward.
6. Undertake a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s intelligence and security frameworks, backed by accountable leadership, measurable targets, and transparent reporting to the Nigerian people.
7. Call on every Nigerian—communities, civil society, political groups, traditional institutions, and concerned citizens—to rise to the occasion, unite in vigilance, and collectively demand safety, justice, and accountability. Our collective voice must drown out the silence of failed leadership.
8. The Federal Government must stop denying the crisis, accept responsibility, and act decisively. The time for excuses is over. Nigeria cannot continue bleeding while its leaders trade blame and perform public relations stunts.
In line with Principle No. 1 of the PRP (The Values and Equality of Human Beings), our party stands firmly with the victims, their families, and all Nigerians yearning for peace and security. The lives of Nigerians being wasted daily are no less important than those of our leaders, their families, and cronies—many of whom are now relocating abroad for safety.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Signed:
Falalu Bello, OFR
National Chairman,
Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
