Former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, has sounded a strong warning about Nigeria’s rapidly worsening insecurity, saying the country is “dangerously close to normalising terror.”

In a statement, Essien described the surge in killings, kidnappings, and terrorist attacks as a full-blown national emergency that requires urgent, firm leadership.

He urged President Bola Tinubu to take bold and immediate action to halt the decline.

Essien highlighted a series of violent incidents recorded in recent days:
– the abduction and killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba and three soldiers in Borno,
– the kidnapping of over 64 people in Tsafe, Zamfara,
– the abduction of 25 female students and school officials in Kebbi,
– the murder of a police officer in Yobe,
– attacks on Christian worshippers in Kwara,
– and the mass kidnapping of more than 300 Catholic school students in Niger State.

“These incidents are no longer isolated,” he stressed. “They have become daily realities in many parts of the country, showing a disturbing level of coordination and cruelty.”

According to the elder statesman, communities are increasingly shutting down, farmers are abandoning their farmlands, and places of worship are losing their sense of safety.

Essien accused the Federal Government of failing to respond with the urgency the crisis demands.

He recalled that President Tinubu was once one of the most vocal critics of security lapses under former President Jonathan, yet the insecurity Tinubu condemned has worsened under his administration.

The leadership Nigerians were promised during the campaigns, he said, “has simply not emerged.”

He also expressed concern about the quality of individuals appointed to critical security roles, arguing that the defence sector must be led by professionals, not political appointees.

Terrorist groups, he said, evolve too quickly to be confronted by leaders who lack deep expertise.

“Defence is not a political reward; it is the backbone of national survival,” he insisted.

Essien criticised suggestions that some figures within government may have ties to terrorist organisations or sympathise with them.

No country, he argued, can win the war on terror if parts of its security apparatus are compromised.

He called for an overhauled national security strategy centred on intelligence-driven operations, stronger community-based security networks, a better-equipped military, and stricter accountability.

Those who fund, protect, or assist terrorists, he said, must be exposed and prosecuted regardless of status.

Turning to the root causes of extremism, Essien lamented the growing number of underage, uneducated children wandering the streets—children who often become easy recruits for bandits and extremist groups.

He urged the government to invest in policies that offer hope, opportunity, and dignity to vulnerable populations.

On corruption, Essien, formerly Chair of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption, National Ethics, and Values, said graft remains a “cancer” weakening the nation’s security framework.

He blamed persistent financial leakages, diversion of public funds, and the government’s refusal to act on investigative findings for starving the security sector of the resources it badly needs.

“The politicisation of security is becoming more dangerous than the terrorists themselves,” he warned. If nothing changes, he added, Nigeria risks losing public trust, facing mass displacement, and descending further into ethnic and religious division.

“Propaganda and political manoeuvring must not overshadow the urgent need for decisive security reforms.”

A suspended member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Bernard Udemezue, representing Ayamelum Constituency, was on Wednesday forced out of the legislative chambers after attempting to resume plenary despite being under sanction.

Udemezue, who was suspended four months ago for allegedly leaking details of lawmakers’ earnings on social media, arrived at the Assembly for Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

He was placed on a three-month suspension for what the House leadership considered a breach of internal procedure.

Ahead of the governor’s arrival, security operatives, including the Police, DSS, and NSCDC, took positions around the complex.

Commissioners, special advisers, media aides, heads of MDAs, traditional rulers, party members, and civil society groups were already seated for the budget session.

Tension rose when Deputy Speaker Chukwuma Okoye and Oyi Constituency lawmaker Innocent Ojike, accompanied by security personnel, approached Udemezue and escorted him out of the chambers.

The House leadership also went to the public gallery to eject the lawmaker’s supporters who had accompanied him.

Sources within the Assembly told DAILY GAZETTE that Udemezue was removed because he did not follow the stipulated procedure for resumption after suspension, despite the expiration of the three-month ban.

Reacting to the incident, Udemezue insisted he complied with all requirements for his return, including submission of formal letters to the appropriate authorities before appearing in the chamber.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised concerns over the repeated assignment of its cases to Justices James Omotosho, Peter Lifu, and Mohammed Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.

In a petition dated November 19 and addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, FCT, Justice John Tsoho, the party, through its National Secretary Taofeek Arapaja, expressed unease over what it described as a pattern of assigning matters filed by or against the PDP to the three judges.

The petition cites recent rulings by the judges that affected the party’s national elective convention.

Justice Omotosho, in a suit brought by Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Nnanah, and Turnah George, PDP state chairmen and zonal secretary, restrained the party from holding the convention, citing non-compliance with party rules.

Justice Lifu similarly ordered the postponement of the convention until former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido obtained a nomination form to contest for the office of National Chairman.

Despite these rulings, the PDP went ahead with the convention, relying on the court order from Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court.

Conflicting judgments have contributed to the factionalisation of the party, with rival blocs claiming leadership, including factions aligned with the PDP Governors Forum and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

The petition reads in part:

“It is of great concern to our party that, for the past few years, all matters filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, either for or against the PDP, have consistently been assigned to Justices Omotosho, Lifu, and Abdulmalik, despite there being nine other judges in the division. These three courts are now viewed by party members and the public as ‘courts of particular concern’ regarding matters affecting the PDP.”

The party urged the Chief Judge to ensure that future cases involving the PDP are not assigned to the three judges, stressing that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done to maintain trust and integrity.

“Our party reiterates that we have no doubt about the integrity of the judiciary, particularly the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, headed by Your Lordship, but we are concerned about this pattern of case assignments,” the petition added.

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga as warned opposition figure Peter Obi that the government will not forgive him for comments interpreted as welcoming a potential U.S military intervention in Nigeria.

Onanuga referred to a video in which Obi reportedly said:

“If Donald Trump said he will invade Nigeria, I will welcome it with open arms because security is my priority.”

He accused Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, of showing disregard for Nigeria’s sovereignty.

The footage resurfaced after a 1 November 2025 post by U.S President Donald Trump on Truth Social, in which he instructed the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria, citing attacks by Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and armed herder groups.

Trump claimed the U.S would not allow violence against Christians to continue.

Nigeria rejected Trump’s claims. Foreign Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa stated that attacks in Nigeria affect citizens of all faiths and are not condoned by the state.

President Tinubu also reassured Nigerians during a defence briefing in Abuja, highlighting the appointment of a Christian as Chief of Defence Staff and ongoing engagement with religious leaders to promote interfaith stability.

Presidential adviser Daniel Bwala emphasized that Nigeria would accept foreign assistance only if it respects the country’s territorial integrity.

Obi recorded the video on 23 November, clarifying that security would be his top priority if elected.

He said his remarks were meant to encourage cooperation against armed groups rather than endorse foreign intervention.

On 4 November, Obi had called for constructive diplomatic engagement between Abuja and Washington.

He also criticised the government’s handling of insecurity, citing international rights organisations reporting that over 10,000 people have been killed since May 2023.

Recent attacks in Kwara and school closures in northern states illustrate the ongoing security challenges.

Relations between Nigeria and the U.S remain tense, partly due to the U.S designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations.

Tinubu’s administration recently sent a delegation to Washington to ease diplomatic tensions.