By Adesakin Adefemi
Former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has called on President Bola Tinubu to back his recent security emergency declarations with sustained and coordinated actions against rising insurgency in the country. This comes as suspected Boko Haram terrorists abducted over 300 residents in a deadly assault on Ngoshe community in Borno’s Gwoza Local Government Area.
Ndume, who represents the affected community in the senate, expressed sadness over the attack and urged the president to “walk his talks” on security. He emphasized that the government should engage in coordinated and sustainable attacks on the targets, especially in the North East.
The senator called on Tinubu to mandate security forces to carry out consistent clearance operations in Lake Chad, the Sambisa Forest, and the Mandara Mountains, areas he identified as havens for insurgents. He also urged the president to hold regular briefings to keep Nigerians informed on efforts to combat banditry and insurgency in the north.
Ndume commended the military for its intervention in Ngoshe, although he said the efforts “came late”. He reiterated his call for frontloading the budgets of security agencies to fast-track the procurement of arms and ammunition.
The lawmaker expressed concern over current budgetary allocations given the sophistication of weapons available to terrorist groups in the country. “The Nigerian Army budget is insignificant compared to what is needed – it’s less than 10% of the overall budget,” he said.
He urged the president to ensure that the Nigerian security agencies’ budgets are frontloaded, adding that even if the country can’t purchase attack helicopters outright, it should consider hiring them to deploy in blackspot areas.
Ndume emphasized that the president should have a situation room at the State House, which should be used to brief Nigerians directly on the security situations consistently. “They want to hear from him from time to time,” he said.
The senator representing Borno south also called for the establishment of an air components centre in the three geo-political zones in the north with attack helicopters deployed to the areas.
The development has sparked widespread concern and outrage in the country, with many calling for urgent action to address the security situation. The reports that just over two months after Tinubu’s declaration, over 316 civilians were killed across 15 states.
The president had declared a national security emergency in November 2025 following multiple terrorist attacks in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states, which led to the abduction of over 350 people in just a few days.
