Nigeria Cannot Continue Like This” — Banji Alabi Unveils Bold Plan to End Insecurity
Nigeria Cannot Continue Like This” — Banji Alabi Unveils Bold Plan to End Insecurity
Nigeria’s worsening security crisis has continued to raise serious concerns among citizens, with increasing cases of kidnappings, bandit attacks, killings, and violent crimes across different parts of the country.
As frustration grows, many Nigerians continue to place responsibility solely on the government and security agencies. However, legal practitioner and public affairs commentator Banji Alabi Esq. has argued that solving the crisis requires more than government action alone.
In a strongly worded press statement released to Our Heritage Reporter online titled “Let’s Form a Committee of the Whole Nation to End Insecurity – If You See It, You Own It,” he called for a nationwide grassroots approach, insisting that insecurity thrives not only because of criminal activities but also due to silence, political interests, and collective inaction.
Full statement reads:
PRESS STATEMENT
Subject: Let’s Form a Committee of the Whole Nation to End Insecurity – “If You See It, You Own It”
Issued by: Banji Alabi Esq.
NIGERIA CANNOT CONTINUE LIKE THIS. INSECURITY IS NOT AN ACT OF GOD. IT IS A CHOICE WE KEEP MAKING BY OUR SILENCE.
For too long, we have buried our heads in the sand while our brothers, sisters, and children are slaughtered, kidnapped, and displaced. We blame the President, we blame the government, and we walk away as if security is someone else’s burden. It is not.
The Truth About Insecurity in Nigeria: It Has Political Fathers
Insecurity in Nigeria did not start yesterday, and it has never been purely criminal. History shows a pattern: whenever disgruntled political actors lose power or fear losing it, they weaponize violence to destabilize the state and create conditions to “kick out a bad government.”
We saw it in the lead-up to 2015. Boko Haram’s escalation, kidnappings, and bombings were amplified and exploited to delegitimize President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. The same actors who could not win at the ballot box sought victory through bloodshed and fear. Communities were infiltrated, local accomplices were paid, and intelligence was suppressed because the goal was not peace—it was power.
That playbook is still in use. When special interest groups want to topple an administration they dislike, they fan ethnic tensions, fund banditry, and ensure that no part of the country feels safe. They know a frightened nation does not ask questions. It only demands change, any change.
This is treason against the Nigerian people. And it succeeds only because we, the people, refuse to own our neighborhoods.
Blaming One Man Will Not Save 300 Million People
No President, not Tinubu, not Buhari, not Jonathan, can police every village, every highway, and every market from Abuja. Criminals live among us. They marry from us, trade in our markets, and are protected by our silence.
If we intend to stop this, we must stop pretending that security is a federal problem alone. We must become good citizens, not just good critics.
The Roadmap: “If You See It, You Own It” – A Committee of the Whole Nation
I call for the immediate formation of a National Committee of the Whole Nation Against Insecurity, structured from the ward to the center:
A. Ward Security Councils
Every ward must constitute a council of traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth leaders, market leaders, and retired security personnel. Their mandate: meet weekly, identify unusual movements, vet local vigilantes, and report directly to the LGA council. No more “we didn’t know.”
B. State and Regional Policing
Nigeria is too large and too diverse for one police command. We must implement true federalism and resource control. Let states and regions establish their own police forces to handle community crimes, while federal forces focus on interstate terrorism, borders, and transnational crime. This is the spirit of the Aburi Accord.
The Bible asks: “Can two walk together unless they agree?” Nigeria is made of strange bedfellows. A weak center and strong regions is the only structure that respects our differences and secures our people.
C. Cut Off the Oxygen of Crime
Pass a Whistleblower Protection and Reward Act. Pay for actionable intelligence that leads to arrests.
Publicly name and prosecute landlords, traditional rulers, and officials who harbor criminals.
Establish a Bipartisan National Security Caucus. Any politician caught funding or inciting violence must face prosecution, regardless of party.
D. Fix the Forces
Improve welfare, housing, and equipment for police and soldiers. A hungry officer cannot fight corruption. Create an independent body to prosecute rogue officers. Publish a public dashboard of arrests, prosecutions, and convictions every 90 days.
A Call to Every Nigerian
From today, adopt this slogan: “If You See It, You Own It.”
If you see unusual movement, report it. If you know a landlord housing bandits, report it. If you hear a politician funding violence, say it.
The Niemöller warning is upon us:
“First they came for the Socialists… Then they came for the Trade Unionists… Then they came for the Jews… Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out.”
Nigeria must unite to secure Nigeria. The President alone cannot do it. Governors alone cannot do it. Only we, the people, can.
We either own our security, or we lose our country.
I am ready to serve on any genuine national committee formed for this purpose. The time for speeches is over. The time for ownership is now.
Signed,
Banji Alabi Esq.
