By Ajewole Joshua|ABNews
JOS, November 28, 2025 — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has issued a strong call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging the Federal Government to immediately confront the escalating banditry crisis or formally invite the international community to intervene.
Obasanjo made the remarks on Friday during a live event held in Jos, Plateau State, covered by the African Independent Television (AIT) and monitored by ABNews.
Speaking with visible concern over the worsening security situation across the country, the former president lamented that Nigerians of all backgrounds continue to be killed while government efforts remain inadequate.
“No matter what religion you belong to, no matter where you come from, no matter your profession, we Nigerians are being killed. And our governments seem to be incapable of protecting us. We are part of the world community,” Obasanjo said.
He stressed that if the government cannot guarantee the safety of citizens, Nigerians have the right to seek help beyond national borders.
“If our government cannot do it, we have a right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us.”
Obasanjo dismissed any justification that links the killings to regional, religious, or ethnic differences, describing such excuses as unacceptable.
Reflecting on his time in office, the former president explained that Nigeria once had the capacity to locate criminals anywhere in the country, but lacked the technology to extract them without deploying personnel by land or air. He noted that modern advancements such as drone technology have now made such operations possible, leaving no excuse for inaction.
“Before I left government, I know we had capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria who commits crime anywhere. The capacity we didn’t have then was to extract them without moving on land or by air. Now we have capacity with drones.”
With a sharp tone of urgency, he questioned the Federal Government’s hesitation in deploying available tools against criminal elements.
“You can sweep them up. You can take them out. Why are we not doing that? Why are we apologizing? Why are we negotiating?”
Obasanjo’s comments add new pressure on President Tinubu’s administration, which continues to face widespread criticism over rising insecurity, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions.
