48 Nigerian CSOs Urge Tinubu To Declare State Of Emergency Over Security Concerns

A coalition of 48 civil society organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency due to the current security situation in the country.

The call was made during a world press conference in Abuja on Monday.

Auwal Musa, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), spoke on behalf of the organizations and expressed his deep concern over the rising insecurity across the country.

Musa noted that, despite Tinubu assuming office over eight months ago, there has been no improvement. He said that at least 2,423 people have been killed in mass atrocities-related incidents and about 1,872 persons have been kidnapped since Tinubu assumed office on May 29 last year.

"We are particularly concerned about the upsurge in abductions, noting that at least 230 incidents, in most of which multiple victims were involved, occurred within the first two weeks of January 2024 alone," Musa said, according to ICIR Nigeria.

"Several communities across the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, the seat of government itself, are under siege, with entire families and, in some cases, communities taken hostage," he added.

Musa further said that residents located in different cities and rural areas are being forced to leave their homes due to repeated attacks by terrorists, kidnappers, and other organized criminal groups.

He stressed that kidnappers asking for ransom have become a "disturbing norm," without any appropriate response from the authorities.

Musa pointed out some recent incidents, including the abduction of 30 passengers near Katari along the Kaduna-Abuja highway and the kidnapping of 45 passengers in Orkam on the Benue-Enugu route, adding that these incidents show the gravity of the situation.

He emphasized that people are not safe in their own houses.

"Homes in rural communities in Northern Nigeria have for over a decade contended with terror pillages, and more recently, urban centers, including the Federal Capital Territory, have witnessed a surge in invasions in which citizens are being abducted for ransom even within the confines of their homes," he said.

Earlier this month, terrorists killed 10 people, including the traditional ruler Haruna Abale of Kukar Babangida in Katsina State.