The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has expressed deep concern over what he described as the alarming rise in insecurity and institutional decay across Nigeria in recent days.
Obi, in a post shared on his official X account on Monday, said, “The past 10 days in Nigeria have witnessed unprecedented negative news, a level of chaos, insecurity, and institutional decay that should trouble the conscience of all the leaders.”
He added that the country’s current challenges are not accidental but a result of leadership failure. “Our country is now going through troubling times, not by fate, but by our collective leadership failures that allow insecurity, lawlessness, and institutional decay to thrive.”
According to him, Nigerians wake up daily to tragedy and reminders of a nation drifting without competent or compassionate leadership. “Each day confronts us with a new tragedy and a new reminder that our beloved country is drifting amid a clear absence of competent, compassionate, responsive and responsible leadership.”
Obi questioned how a nation rich in resilience is now overwhelmed by avoidable disorder, asking, “We have all watched a nation blessed with people of strength and resilience drift into avoidable disorder. We should be asking ourselves: Are we cursed, or are we the curse?”
He went on to list major incidents that occurred within the past 10 days:
- 11/11/25 – Six senior directors from the Ministry of Defence were kidnapped along the Kogi axis, an incident Obi said reminded Nigerians that “even those tasked with securing our nation are no longer safe.”
- 15/11/25 – A senior military officer, a Brigadier General, was brutally executed, which he described as “a grave signal of the danger engulfing both civilians and security personnel.”
- 16/11/25 – Sixty-four civilians, including women and children, were abducted in Zamfara, with lives lost in the attack.
- 17/11/25 – Twenty-five schoolgirls were abducted in Kebbi, and their Vice Principal was killed. Obi called them “young children with dreams and innocence.”
- 18/11/25 – Worshippers were attacked in a church in Kwara State, leaving some killed and about 38 abducted. Obi said, “A place of worship, meant to be a sanctuary, became a scene of fear.”
- 18/11/25 – A crisis erupted at the PDP Wadata Plaza headquarters. Obi said security agencies “worsened the situation and further instigated it,” accusing the government of “encouraging the destruction of political parties and the weakening of our democracy.”
- 18/11/25 – At the All Nigeria Judges’ Conference, judges stood while the APC partisan song “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand” played ahead of the President’s address. He said the moment “further eroded public trust in institutions expected to protect the rule of law.”
- 19/11/25 – Soldiers heading to rescue the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls were ambushed, highlighting how “undersupported our security forces have become.”
- 21/11/25 – Nigerians learned that over 300 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State.
- 22/11/25 – Bandits shot at farmers in Kaduna, killing one.
- 23/11/25 – Terrorists ambushed and killed five police officers in Sabon Sara, Darazo LGA, Bauchi State, injuring two others.
Obi also revealed he received fresh disturbing news: “And just as I was speaking about this, I received yet another devastating report about the abduction of 13 female farmers in Askira-Uba LGA of Borno State by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP Terrorists.”
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He warned that no nation can progress on excuses or absentee governance. “No serious nation survives on excuses, indifference, or absentee leadership… What we are witnessing is not inevitable, it is the direct consequence of the leaders not valuing human life.”
Obi remarked that Nigeria is suffering because its leaders prioritise personal comfort over national duty. “Nigeria is bleeding because those elected to protect the nation have chosen comfort over courage, politics over people, and power over purpose.”
Calling for responsible governance, he said, “We the leaders must remember that governance is not a title, it is a duty to protect every child, every community, and every citizen.”
He reiterated the need for better leadership, saying Nigeria needs “competence, compassion, and a government that shows up when it matters the most.”
Obi ended with a message of solidarity: “To every Nigerian shaken in these past 10 days, my heart is with you. You deserve safety, you deserve peace. We deserve a government that values our lives above politics. Nigeria must rise again.”