As the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) delegates converge on Benin City for the NBA National Executive Committee meeting, the Association said it would continue to push for accountability, decisive leadership, and a comprehensive national response to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
The NBA has also issued a forceful call for an immediate overhaul of the country’s security architecture following the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the killing of senior military personnel in Borno, declaring that Nigeria has reached a breaking point.
The group paid tribute to the teacher killed in the Kebbi school attack and to the fallen Brigadier-General and soldiers in Borno, describing them as heroes who paid the ultimate price.
The NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), and General Secretary, Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara, said that this is not just about security, it is about leadership and about justice. Above all, it is about the soul of this nation.
In a strongly worded statement, the Association said the violent attack on Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where terrorists killed a teacher and abducted at least 25 students, was another tragic reminder of Nigeria’s worsening security collapse.
The NBA said the act was neither isolated nor unexpected, noting that it occurred in a country where “impunity has become habitual and national tragedies have become background noise.”
The body said it was compelled to declare ‘enough is enough.’ It noted that hours before the Kebbi attack, ISWAP insurgents killed Brigadier-General M. Uba in an ambush in Borno State, shortly after another deadly attack on soldiers in the same region.
The NBA said the killings showed that terrorists are increasingly bold, attacking not only helpless civilians but also military officers.
According to the association, the pattern of killings, kidnappings, and terrorist invasions across communities demonstrated that ‘no one is safe,’ stressing that schoolchildren, farmers, travellers, rural dwellers, and security personnel had all become victims of lawlessness.
It noted that within four days, more than 145 people were reportedly abducted across Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara States, warning that Nigeria risked total collapse if decisive action was not taken.
They also cited intelligence alerts from the Department of State Services (DSS) warning of planned attacks by ISWAP in Ondo and Kogi States, saying this proved that terrorists were expanding their reach into previously secure areas.
The NBA said the situation was no longer a matter of operational lapses but a test of national resolve. It questioned how terrorists continued to roam forests and highways unchallenged, impose levies on communities, operate safe havens, and launch large-scale abductions with impunity.
The Association therefore called on the Federal Government and security agencies to take”immediate and non-negotiable action,” outlining key measures needed to restore public confidence and halt the escalating violence.
These include a coordinated, time-bound rescue mission for the abducted girls; a full inquiry into the intelligence failures surrounding the ambush that killed Brigadier-General Uba; and the prosecution of all collaborators, financiers, and enablers of terrorism.
The NBA also demanded full implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative, major investments in satellite surveillance and forest-monitoring technology, military modernisation, and proactive counter-terror measures in states identified by the DSS as high risk.
They further called for trauma care and long-term support for families of victims of terrorism, both civilian and military.
NBA, however, paid tribute to the teacher killed in the Kebbi school attack and to the fallen Brigadier-General and soldiers in Borno, describing them as heroes who paid the ultimate price.
“This is not just about security. It is about leadership. It is about justice. Above all, it is about the soul of this nation.”
