Obasanjo Backs Nigerians Seeking Foreign Assistance Over Insecurity

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that Nigerians are within their rights to seek the intervention of the international community over security challenges if the government fails in its constitutional duty to protect them.

The elder statesman said this at the 2025 Plateau Unity Christmas Carol, held at the Ten Commandments Altar in Jos on Friday. He, alongside other prominent Nigerians, was a special guest on the invitation of the Plateau State Government.

He argued that Nigerians should have no apology for calling on foreigners to do for us what the government can't.

“If our government cannot do it, we have the right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do, and we should have no apology for that,” adding that with satellites and drones and other modern technology, criminals should not have the freedom to commit crimes and disappear.

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“Why are we apologising? Why are we negotiating? The government must stop the killing of Nigerians. We are being killed, we are tired, and we want the killing to stop,” he stated.

The former President also expressed deep concern over the upsurge in insecurity across the country. He said, despite being its primary responsibility, the government seems incapable of protecting Nigeria.

He recalled the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, concluding that insecurity has deteriorated further rather than improved.

“Since the kidnapping of the Chibok girls, it has continued to go from bad to worse. The first responsibility of any government is the protection and security of its citizens, but our government seems to be incapable of protecting us,” he continued.

He warned against attempts to stereotype killings across the country along religious and ethnic lines, describing the current narrative of one side killing the other as "nonsensical."

“We Nigerians are being killed — no matter the religion you belong to, no matter where you come from. And for anybody saying that when we are being killed, another group is also being killed, I believe that is nonsensical,” he added.

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Obasanjo's remarks come at a time when public anxiety is racing through the roof following a wave of abductions and killings across the country.

Gunmen continue to go on a rampage in several parts of the country, majorly targeting vulnerable communities, including schools and religious establishments.

In Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states alone, over 300 students, teachers, and churchgoers combined were abducted in separate attacks in the space of one week.

The development has kept many Nigerians on edge, while calls for foreign intervention are gaining traction, especially after the involvement of United States President Donald Trump.

Before the renewed wave of attacks, Trump had designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), citing Christian persecution and the government's inability to curb killings.

He followed up with a threat of military invasion, warning the Nigerian government to take swift action to avoid U.S. military boots on the ground in the West African nation.