The 2023 presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has urged the federal government to declare war on insecurity.

Insecurity has spread across Nigeria in recent years with violent incidents recorded, including over 100 deaths in Borno while states such as Sokoto, Katsina, and Edo have not been spared.

Reacting on Sunday via a post on his official X account, Obi called on the federal government to wage war against insecurity and halt officials’ foreign trips to focus on the crisis.

“Nigeria bleeds, needs a declaration of war on insecurity now: “Bloody Weekend: over 100 Killed in Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, Edo.” This grim headline captures the frightening reality reflected in our weekend papers,” Obi lamented.

He said the killing of eight officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the abduction of a Chinese national in Edo, the kidnapping of passengers on the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road, and the slaughter of five soldiers and 58 civilians in Borno are not isolated tragedies.

The former Governor of Anambra State said such tragic incidents are stark evidence that Nigeria is in the grip of a full-blown security emergency, even as he condoled the families of the dead.

“My deepest condolences go to the families of our fallen heroes. Their courage reminds us that we still have men and women who are willing to risk everything for our safety,” he said.

He also called for security operatives to fish out the culprits, saying: “Their killers must be swiftly apprehended and brought to justice. Their sacrifices must never be forgotten.

“When over 100 Nigerians are killed in a single weekend, our casualty figures rival those of countries officially at war. This is no longer business as usual.”

Obi said it is time to declare a national war on insecurity, to mobilise every resource, every agency, every state, and to suspend all distractions while the citizens begin the process of reclaiming our nation from lawlessness.

He further said foreign trips by government officials should be put on hold until the situation is brought under control, adding that true leadership must be seen at home, personally coordinating the war against insecurity.

“Junketing around the world under the pretence of wooing investors, while the country bleeds, is to live in denial. Investors will not come into a war zone,” Obi said.

He stated that no nation can prosper while its citizens live under siege, as history shows that insecurity is the quickest path to national collapse — Somalia and Libya stand as painful warnings.

“We must act now, with urgency and courage, to prevent a total descent into anarchy and rebuild Nigeria into a safe, secure, and productive nation for all,” Obi said.