Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, has called on the Federal Government to declare a full-scale war against bandits and insurgents operating across Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Irabor emphasized that no legal instruments currently indicate that Nigeria is officially at war. “There are no legal instruments indicating that Nigeria is at war. There’s none; we’re only assuming that we are at war,” he said.
He explained that formally declaring war would allow the government to aggregate the elements of state power toward combating insurgency and ensure resources are properly channeled with clear accountability. “It will make a huge difference because resourcing, of course, will now be properly channelled, and then accountability frameworks can now be properly outlined in such a manner that we’re able to see results for some of the expenditures that we make,” Irabor added.
The former CDS also stressed that addressing insecurity requires more than military action. “We’re talking about the aggregate of the deployment of the elements of state power beyond just military power that will help us,” he said, highlighting the importance of government policies in tackling risk factors for crime.
Irabor further urged Nigerian leaders to avoid politicizing security issues, noting that politicians’ actions and inactions contribute to insecurity. He advocated for measures to reduce vulnerability, including education, employment, and social programs to prevent recruitment by criminal groups.
Several northern states have recently experienced violent attacks by bandits, resulting in loss of life and property. In a nationwide broadcast during Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day, President Bola Tinubu claimed that peace had returned to liberated communities in the North-East and North-West and praised the armed forces and security agencies for their efforts.
“Peace has returned to hundreds of our liberated communities in the North-West and North-East, and thousands of our people have returned safely to their homes. They are winning the war against terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes,” Tinubu said, citing military operations against Boko Haram, IPOB/ESN, and banditry.
Irabor, who recently released his book Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, argued that the government should leverage policies alongside military action to achieve sustainable security outcomes.
The former CDS’s remarks highlight ongoing concerns over Nigeria’s approach to tackling terrorism and insecurity, calling for a more strategic and legally grounded response.