Ex-Rep Member Slams Tinubu: Nigeria is Bleeding While President is Chasing Defections

A former member of the House of Representatives, Zakari Mohammed, has come down hard on President Bola Tinubu, warning that Nigeria is sliding deeper into chaos while the Presidency focuses on political realignments.

Mohammed said the country is “bleeding,” pointing to a string of violent attacks, mass kidnappings, and the killing of senior military personnel in different parts of the country.

He spoke during an interview on ARISE News on Friday, lamenting that the situation has gone beyond routine condemnations.

The former law maker stated that the President must immediately declare a state of emergency on security.

“Mr President should just abandon everything, declare a state of emergency on security and tighten his belt,” he said.

He argued that the major issue confronting the fight against insecurity is the absence of strong political resolve.

“For me, I think the political will to tackle security is quite missing. When he gets back to work and sits down, rather than campaigning and receiving defectors, I believe that the country is bleeding and we must do something about it.”

The former lawmaker listed recent incidents in Kwara and Niger States, noting that the pattern of killings has become frightening.

“There were five killings. In Kwara, there was an incident in a church. Then in northern Kwara, some rice farmers were abducted and some were killed. Then of course in Niger, in Papiripa specifically,” he said.

He also faulted the Federal Government’s handling of a recent diplomatic engagement with the United States, following comments on alleged Christian persecution.

“For me, I think it’s a diplomatic mistake,” he said, criticising the decision to send a delegation instead of allowing President Tinubu address the issue personally.

“I don’t know why Mr President is afraid of meeting Trump face-to-face. Nigeria is not a backbencher in the community of nations. We have the human resources to guide us properly for whatever delegation we want to go into. We can’t be reduced to a bunch of jesters.”

Mohammed added that the number of killings in the last two years should worry global partners.

“Over 10,300 Nigerians were killed before this incident happened. International bodies here in Abuja put it together – over 10,000 in the last two years. That’s too much,” he said.

He appealed to the United States to assist Nigeria with advanced intelligence and surveillance tools.

“From their satellites and the sophistication of their equipment, they know exactly where these guys are in our forests,” he said. “Even if it means, without physically coming, you deploy technology to blow them up wherever they are. The world has gone beyond kinetic operations. Some of these missiles travel between continents, so why not?”

Mohammed also raised concerns about the recent killing of a Brigadier General in Borno, questioning the security breach that revealed his location.

“He gave information of his location. How did that information leak? That is what you should be interested in as a country,” he said, calling for an inquiry to prevent similar incidents.

When asked what the US congressional panel should prioritise as it reviews Nigeria’s security crisis, Mohammed said intelligence and technology must come first.

“Drones can do this job beautifully well. Rather than engaging our men and losing them in droves, we can pinpoint the locations and take them out.”

He stated that the nation must put sentiments aside, adding “We need to remove emotions from this and secure our country, because that’s the only country we have.”