Senator Shehu Sani said that Nigeria needs to ask for support from other countries, like the US and China, because the country’s internal security issue has been going on for 15 years without a clear triumph over terrorists and bandits.
Shortly after a one-day high-level security summit he called in Abuja yesterday, the former lawmaker said that while help from other countries is welcome, Nigeria’s leaders, security agencies, and citizens are ultimately responsible for keeping the country safe, according to Saturday Independent.
The interview took place right after the One-Day National Security Summit in Abuja, which was co-hosted by the Africa Freedom Foundation (AFF) and the Yari Roundtable. At the summit, important people like policymakers, religious leaders, security experts, and civil society actors looked at Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
Senator Sani remarked that more and more Nigerians are looking to other countries and international organizations for help because they don’t think their own efforts are enough.
He remarked, “When someone goes outside the family for help, it’s because the problem can’t be solved within the family anymore.”
He talked on how U.S. President Donald Trump called Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and said that this kind of outside attention, while uncomfortable, should be seen as a wake-up call instead of an embarrassment.
He remarked, “It doesn’t matter if we are called a country of particular concern or not; our people are being killed.”
“Labels shouldn’t be the focus; solutions should be.”
Senator Sani wanted a practical approach to overseas aid.
He remarked, “We welcome help from the U.S. or China with open arms.”
“We appreciate any help they can give us to stop this violence if they know where these terrorists are.”
But he strongly warned that foreign intervention must respect Nigeria’s independence.
He said, “They can’t know our country better than we do.”
“Other countries need to work with our security agencies so that there is control, coordination, and respect.”
He made it clear that the terrorists who are destroying Nigeria are not from other countries.
He answered, “These are not people from outer space.”
Most of them are Nigerians from the north of the country. “This is our own problem.”
Senator Sani led the meeting, where there were heated talks about problems with governance, the misuse of security budgets, human rights violations, and the growing wave of banditry and terrorism that is expanding through the North-West, North-Central, and sections of the South.
Senator Sani told summit delegates earlier that Nigeria was “at a critical juncture.” He said that if the violence is to stop, the federal government must embrace openness, responsibility, and national discourse.
“We are at a really important point. He said, “There is no way to overstate how important it is for the country to talk to each other.”
“The misuse of security funds has to stop, and our leaders need to be held accountable.” We can only deal with the core causes of violence and instability in our country if we are open and work together.
He said that even though billions of naira are spent on defense and internal security each year, people still live in dread, neighborhoods are devastated virtually every week, and the state has a hard time dealing with armed organizations that aren’t part of the government.
He says that the fact that insecurity has continued under several governments is indicative that Nigeria’s policy needs a serious and honest rethink.
Religious leaders also made passionate pleas at the conference, condemning the ongoing killings and calling for the government to take strong action.
Archbishop Dr. James Malgit of the Plateau Diocese described what he called a “season of national mourning without end” a time of grief and loss. He said that the killings in Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, and other states have taken away families’ hope and left communities devastated.
Archbishop Malgit said, to applause, “The killing of innocent people must stop.” “The government needs to act right away to stop the killing.” We can’t just stand by and let people suffer anymore.
Chief Imam Mal. Abubakar Sadiq Yusuf of Kaduna State Polytechnic also said that kidnappings in northern Nigeria are happening more and more quickly. He stated that every day, towns lose children, farmers, and travelers, which creates a climate of dread that hurts education, business, and social life.
“We are losing more lives every day to kidnappings and killings that don’t make sense,” he said.
“The government needs to do something right away to keep our neighborhoods safe and protect our kids.”
At the meeting, officials from both the Muslim and Christian faiths asked the government to keep a close eye on security funds. They said that any money leaks or political distractions in the security sector will cost lives.
Senator Sani’s warnings were stronger in an interview after the meeting. He called Nigeria a “nation defaced with violence, bloodshed, and uprising” and said the country can no longer afford to believe that everything is well.
He said, “Nigeria is 65 years old, and in those years we have been through storms, trouble, and war.” “But today, we are faced with gangs of terrorists and bandits who have made themselves invisible. They are killing our people, burning homes, kidnapping students, and attacking churches and mosques.”
He told Nigerians that even while some people think that northern leaders will do a better job of dealing with northern insecurity, the north is still the most violent part of the country, even when northerners are in charge.
He said, “Insecurity has continued under different administrations, even those led by northerners, but the northern part of the country has remained the center of bloodshed.”
Senator Sani added that Nigerians have good reasons to be worried about any kind of impunity that weakens state authority. This is in response to worries about the behavior of some clerics whose statements sometimes make things worse.
He remarked, “When religious leaders or other powerful people act like they are above the law, it causes chaos and makes our security system weaker.” “Every voice must be responsible right now, when our country is fighting for stability.”
He did, however, say that fiery sermons make things worse, but they are not the main reason Nigeria is unsafe. He said that the real problems are bad government, poverty, open borders, and the fact that the state can’t always execute the law.
The senator asked why Nigeria, which was previously praised for helping to bring peace to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, and Somalia, had not been able to combat terrorists on its own soil.
He said, “For fifteen years, every government has failed to protect the lives of our people.” “We’ve spent hundreds of billions of our own taxpayers’ money and millions of dollars in foreign aid on defense and security, but the problem is still there.”
He argued that this constant failing is what makes people angry.
He said, “We can’t have a country when people are being killed and we do nothing.”
“We can’t have a country when our people’s homes are destroyed, when churches and mosques are destroyed, and when kids aren’t safe in their schools.”
He says that a government has failed in its most basic duty if it can’t safeguard its citizens.
He remarked, “You have no reason to be in office if you can’t protect people’s lives.”
Senator Sani told Nigerian politicians to stop being arrogant and start talking to everyone.
He replied, “Just because you’re in government doesn’t mean you know everything.”
“Leadership needs to reach out, talk, listen, and use ideas that can save lives.”
He praised religious leaders and civil society groups for coming together to call for peace, stating that this demonstrates that Nigerians are serious about ending the violence.
He remarked, “We are all working together to find peace.” “But unity doesn’t mean anything if people keep dying every day.”
Senator Sani’s last words made it clear how important and tragic the numbers were.
“Every day, Muslims are killed in Katsina and Christians are killed in Benue.” In Zamfara, Muslims die, and in Plateau, Christians perish. He said, “We bury people every day.” “What’s the subject? This is a really important issue. “We need real, urgent solutions.”
He didn’t like the concept of foreign forces taking over Nigeria’s security, but he did say that if Nigeria doesn’t protect its own people, other countries will be interested.
He said, “The present and the future of our country belong to us.” “America will always put its own interests first.” China would always put its own needs first. We need to put Nigeria first.
He also said, “But if others want to help us stop the killings, we should welcome them with open arms.”
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