Prominent Northern elder and public commentator, Dabo Sambo, has warned President Bola Tinubu that unless he urgently tackles insecurity and banditry, particularly in the North, his chances of winning the 2027 presidential election remain slim.
 
From Tinubu’s South-West, the Majeobaje Community Development Initiative (Majeobaje CDI) has raised the alarm over growing insecurity in the region, warning that the zone is at high risk of terrorist attacks. 
 
Briefing reporters yesterday, Sambo emphasised that insecurity remained the greatest threat facing the country, with lives and property constantly at risk.  He noted that restoring safety and stability is the primary function of any government, and failure to deliver on this front could cost the President re-election.
 
“Food is scarce in Nigeria and people are hungry,” Sambo stated, linking the growing food crisis to insecurity in the North-East and North-West, regions responsible for over 60 per cent of the country’s agricultural output.
 
According to Sambo, farmers are fleeing their lands due to banditry, kidnapping and terrorist activities, causing a major drop in food production and rising prices.
 
He also pointed out the economic consequences of insecurity, including a weakened naira, high transportation costs and rising inflation, which are draining the savings of ordinary Nigerians.  Sambo issued a direct call to Tinubu, urging him to resolve the insecurity crisis within the next six months and revive local agriculture within a year.
  
“If President Tinubu refuses to wipe out the security challenges, he will definitely not win the 2027 election,” he warned, drawing parallels with former President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat in 2015, which he also attributed to unchecked insecurity.
 
“The era of carton noodles and salt distribution during campaigns is over,” he said. “People want security and food. Without these, they will not vote.”

Also, at a briefing organised by Majeobaje CDI in Ibadan, Oyo State, a leading member of the group, Akintayo Akin-Deko, declared that the South-West “is at high risk of terrorist attacks” and unveiled plans for a high-level regional security workshop billed for July,  He described the situation as “foreboding and increasingly existential.”

Akin-Deko made reference to a recent alert by U.S. Marine Corps Africa Commander, Gen Michael Langley, who warned of terrorists’ plans to access West African coastlines for smuggling, arms dealing and trafficking.
 
According to him, this strategic objective puts states like Lagos and Ondo, both located on Nigeria’s southern coast and home to critical economic infrastructure, directly in the terrorists’ crosshairs.
 
“It should be no surprise,” Akin-Deko emphasised, “that this zone would be one of the primary targets of the relentless agents of destabilisation. If left unchecked, these incursions will rob our farmers of their land, endanger our livelihoods and ultimately deny our children their heritage.”
 
Calling for a shift in priorities, Majeobaje CDI announced plans to convene a Sensitisation Workshop on Securing Our Communities in July at the House of Chiefs in Ibadan. 
 
The event will bring together traditional rulers, policymakers, retired security officers, and grassroots leaders to map out a strategic, legal and sustainable path towards community-driven security in the South-West.