The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called upon Chief Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency regarding the insecurity issues prevailing in the nation.
As the primary organization representing legal practitioners across Nigeria, the NBA emphasized during its state of the nation address delivered in Abuja that the populace necessitates a comprehensive and informed intervention strategy, inclusive of all stakeholders and openly communicated to the public within the bounds permitted by prevailing security conditions.
The NBA urged Tinubu to visibly demonstrate his commitment to prioritizing the protection of lives and properties in the country.
In a statement delivered by its National President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, and supported by all executive members, the NBA endorsed the establishment of state police as a proactive measure to address the security challenges.
It decried that “some Nigerians have lost, and many more are fast losing confidence in the ability of the Federal Government to deal with the security situation in the country.”
As per the legal authority, any and all criminal activities throughout the nation, regardless of their description or the names of those perpetrating them, are entirely unjustifiable and intolerable.
It said, “The entire country is under siege by terrorists, bandits and criminal gangs. It is no longer easily determinable, if not impossible, which square kilometer of the Nigerian territory is under the authority not control of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“A situation where criminality dots all over the space known as the Nigeria territory, in a manner that diminishes the presence of law enforcement agencies, directly challenges the sovereignty of Nigeria.
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“This is particularly so when we hear that the said bandits and terrorists are foreign nationals.
“If the activities of foreign nationals have been responsible for this high level of insecurity in our nation when the country is not at war, these criminal elements go on to boldly record and send out videos on social media platforms boasting about their strongholds with the territory of the Nigerian state and suffer no consequence for so doing, then there is more to it than meets the eye, and Nigerians need to be better informed of the nature of the insecurity they are dealing with.”
Continuing, the NBA, in the letter it wrote to Tinubu, said: “The entire nation is swimming in the pool of the blood of its citizens and we seen to have become numb to it and insensitive to the bloodletting in this country.
“We appear to have lost our humanity and these incidents are fast becoming a norm and a part of our existence.
“Those entrusted with the responsibility to drive and implement government policies appear to be content with the false sense of security created by the high walls around them and the he few arms-bearing security personnel who keep vigil over them. We must reverse the trend.
“We call on government to have a change of mindset, strategy and tactics in not only making necessary investments in security, but also in a way our military strength/capabilities are displayed to the public.
“There is literally no part of the country that is not enmeshed in one form of insecurity challenge or the other. What makes the entire situation even more disturbing is the increasing boldness of the perpetrators,” the NBA added.
It cautioned that the security challenges, if not promptly tackled, would continue to have a negative impact on the nation’s economy.
“The Nigerian economy is dwindling; value of Naira has been bastardized, prizes of foodstuff have skyrocketed, everything negative seems that be on the rise. The insecurity has equally impacted negatively on food sufficiency and good security as a nation.
“Those who rely on farming as their sole means of livelihood have been thrown into abject poverty, because they no longer go to their farms.
“While this administration may argue that it is only seven months into office and is not the cause of present-day experience, the fact remains that it is this government that has the responsibility of stemming the negative tide,” the NBA stated.
Furthermore, the NBA strongly opposed the Enhanced Trade Investment Partnership (ETIP) Agreement signed by the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment with the United Kingdom government.
This agreement would permit British lawyers to practice law in Nigeria.
“It is indeed unfortunate that this tragic reminder of our colonial past, is being gleefully celebrated at the highest level of the government of Nigeria.
“What is more disheartening is the fact that a decision of this magnitude that adversely affects the wellbeing and livelihood of millions of Nigerians could be taken without any consultation, especially with the NBA,” the legal body added.