Your Excellency,

HALT THE BREWING ANARCHY IN NIGERIA.

l write, on behalf of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue, IAD, a pan Igbo, non-partisan socio-political and prodemocracy organization.
The deplorable and unprecedented security situation in Nigeria is public knowledge that has attracted unenviable international attention. The sacrifices being made by Nigeria’s security agencies to contain the situation must be appreciated no matter how modest. Your bold effort to push the inevitable state police initiative is worthy of commendation and support by the public.

Your Excellency, I wish to draw your attention to the brewing anarchy in Nigeria, which calls for your urgent intervention as the Chief Security Officer of the country.

We are in an election year leading to the presidential election of January 2027 and other elections thereafter.

Several flash points exist across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

The desperate actions and inflammatory rhetoric of political actors in the build-up to the forthcoming general elections have the dangerous tendency to trigger widespread anarchy that may overwhelm the fragile capacity of Nigeria’s security agencies that have been stretched to its limits already.

The recent attack on Mr. Peter Obi and his associates in Edo State and the subsequent attack on Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers State are a few of the provocative and unprovoked attacks that could snowball to spiral reprisal actions.

Discerning Nigerians are waiting to hear quality proposals by politicians and their political parties especially the ruling party about what they intend to do differently to alleviate the plight of the citizens if given the opportunity to serve in the offices of their aspiration after 2027 elections.

Unfortunately what we hear are threats, acerbic tantrum and arrogant claims about how the forthcoming elections have been won and lost.

Your Excellency, you have a responsibility to assure Nigerians that the 2027 elections will be fair, credible and transparent. You have a responsibility to rein in some of your overzealous aides and appointees to moderate their rhetoric and provocations.

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, enjoys obvious incumbency advantages from the Party’s control of the National Assembly to the overwhelming majority of the State and local government structures in the country.

The ruling party ought to concentrate its efforts on the strategy and issue based campaigns to translate the advantages it currently enjoys into electoral victory in a free and fair election.

The antics of some prominent leaders of the ruling party smacks of panic and lack of confidence.

Your Excellency, I venture to make a few recommendations that you may consider to ensure that Nigeria will go through the processes of the 2027 general election and come out of it in one piece.

1. You have the power under the Nigerian Constitution to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his fellow prisoners of conscience without further delay. This will calm frayed nerves and reduce tension not only in the Southeast geopolitical zone but among Igbo people who are widely spread in Nigeria and abroad. Exercise this special presidential prerogative. It is auspicious and expedient at this time.
2. Direct the APC, the Presidency and its numerous state and local governments to set the tone for issue based campaigns.
3. Incessant arrest and detention of high profile political leaders especially leaders of the opposition political parties which may suggest deliberate clampdown to put them out of circulation at this time should be avoided.
4. The federal government and the relevant agencies in collaboration with civil society and prodemocracy organizations must make deliberate efforts to ensure large citizen participation in the 2027 elections.

The appalling twenty percent turn out in our general elections speaks to the illegitimacy of the outcomes. Nobody who is a product of such outcome should beat his chest and say that the people have spoken through the ballot box.

I urge you to be mindful of the verdict of history.

Please accept the assurances of my highest respect.

Chief Chekwas Okorie
(Ojeozi Ndigbo)
Convener/National Chairman
Igbo Agenda Dialogue, IAD.
12/03/2026.

By George Mgbeleke

Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has carpeted the military’s handling of information on the casualties from the attacks on its facilities by ISWAP and Boko haram terrorists just as the Rights group said the military is spreading misinformation to Nigerians in an attempt to present a rosy picture of successes by the Nigerian Army when in reality the terrorists are in resurgence and have killed many top ranking soldiers amongst several dozens of junior ranks, women and children.

HURIWA said the terrorists are committing horrendous crimes against humanity and therefore the Defence Headquarters spokesman who recently said the terrorists should be rehabilitated and reintegrated is guilty of indiscretion and should be administratively sanctioned. HURIWA opposes any talk of rehabilitation for terrorists who have blood in their hands just as the Rights group insisted that terrorists should be killed for their crimes against humanity.

The Rights group quoting credible eye witnesses’ account captured by highly credible media outfits reporting from the North-East of Nigeria has reported that the Nigerian military has lost at least three commanding officers in charge of forward operations bases following attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) at different locations within a seven-day period in Borno State. HURIWA lamented that even the remains of Brigadier General Uba who was reportedly captured and executed by ISWAP are yet to be recovered by the Nigerian Army. ‘Any nation’s Army that is not only losing junior soldiers but allowing terrorists to kill their top ranking military officers is a military in decline. We must be Frank and tell ourselves the truth. The federal government must take steps to arrest the decline of the military and equp, motivate soldiers to confront and defeat terrorists.

According to the credible accounts by the media, the latest casualties bring to seven the number of commanding officers and one brigadier general reportedly killed within the last three months.
Local and security observers say the recent attacks highlight the persistent threat posed by insurgents in Borno despite ongoing military operations aimed at degrading their capabilities.

HURIWA is therefore miffed that the military’s hierarchy could authorise the dissemination of fake news to misinform Nigerians and get Nigerians to believe that the casualty figures were not as bad as is being reported even when the same military admitted that about 40 Soldiers In Borno were killed and Confirmed Murder Of just a Commanding Officer. “HURIWA is of the opinion that Nigeria is the only nation globally who trained military are being slaughtered in huge numbers by Islamic terrorists. This is an inexcusable dereliction of duty by the military chiefs in Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the Media Information Officer of the Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the army said the report presented a distorted account of the incident and failed to acknowledge the efforts of troops who defended communities against coordinated terrorist assaults.
According to the statement, the attacks were carried out by remnants of Boko Haram who had earlier been dislodged from Sambisa Forest during sustained military operations.

“The attacks on multiple communities occurred when remnants of Boko Haram terrorists, who had earlier been dislodged from the Sambisa Forest during sustained offensive operations by troops, regrouped and launched coordinated night attacks from multiple directions,” the statement said.
The army said the attacks targeted communities and troop locations around Konduga, Ngoshe, Mainok, and Jakana.
“The troops on the ground responded swiftly and fought gallantly to repel the terrorists and defend the affected communities,” the statement added.

It noted that several terrorists were neutralised during the engagements, but confirmed that a commanding officer and some soldiers were killed while confronting the attackers.

HURIWA however asked the military to always inform Nigerians of the accurate accounts of the casualties rather than try to deceive us to believe that all is well with the military just as the Rights group lamented that all is not well with the counterterrorism war even as the Rights group advised military hierarchy to adopt more efficient and effective approaches to decimate, degrade and destroy the terrorists. President Bola Tinubu must abolish the unconstitutional practice of rehabilitation and reintegration of the killer terrorists.

HURIWA in a media statement asserted that the media report is correct to assert that in recent months, the military has intensified operations in high-risk locations, including the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, the Mandara Mountains and the Lake Chad Basin.
Military statements indicate that scores of insurgent commanders and fighters are being killed during operations conducted across multiple fronts, with several major terrorist camps also destroyed.

According to media reports, the three commanding officers recently killed were Major U.I. Mairiga, who headed the Mayenti base; Lt-Col Umar Faruq, commander of the Kukawa base and the 101 Brigade; and Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, who served in Konduga.

HURIWA recalled that within the last three months, commanding officers stationed in Damasak, Kukawa and Bama have also reportedly been killed while defending their bases.
Findings showed that most of the deaths occurred during attacks on military bases or ambushes carried out by insurgents during clearance operations.
Latest attack

The most recent incident occurred on Monday, March 9, when insurgents overran a military camp in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno, killing the commanding officer, Lt-Col Umar Faruq, alongside several soldiers.
Local and security sources said the insurgents attacked the base around 12am.

“They stormed the town from multiple directions and launched an assault on the military camp. They dislodged the troops, set vehicles ablaze and carted away ammunition,” a security source said.
“I cannot confirm the number of casualties, but sadly we also lost the commanding officer,” the source added.

The spokesman of the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai, Lt-Col Sani Uba, confirmed that a gallant officer was killed in the attack but did not disclose his identity.
Last month, insurgents had also attacked the military base but were repelled by troops under the command of the late Lt-Col Umar Faruq, with many terrorists reportedly killed.
His response during the earlier attack was widely commended by residents of the community and celebrated on social media.

In a video circulating online, the lawmaker representing Kukawa Local Government Area in the Borno State House of Assembly, Karta Maina Ma’aji Lawan, was seen celebrating the earlier victory with troops.

However, the lawmaker, who confirmed the latest attack, said calm had since been restored in other military formations in the area, although the military base was overrun.
Other attacks

On March 1, 2026, another commanding officer, Major Umar Ibrahim Mairiga, was killed when Boko Haram terrorists attacked his base in Mayenti, Bama Local Government Area.
A security source said the officer resisted the attack fiercely but was eventually overwhelmed.

“The unit commander, Major U.I. Mairiga, gave the terrorists a tough fight but was eventually overpowered after some of his soldiers fled into the bush.
“He died a brave soldier. He killed many of them before being overpowered. When I arrived as reinforcement, we recovered RPGs, anti-aircraft weapons and saw many corpses of Boko Haram fighters,” the source said.
The source added that the officer had been deployed to the forward operations base less than four months earlier after receiving a special promotion.

The attack occurred weeks after several soldiers were killed during another assault on a military base in Jakana, Kaga Local Government Area, where terrorists reportedly burned armoured vehicles and carted away large quantities of ammunition.
On March 6, the Commanding Officer of the 222 Battalion in Konduga, Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, was also killed along with several soldiers during another attack by Boko Haram insurgents.

Other personnel attached to the 21 Special Armoured Brigade were reportedly killed during the ambush, including a lieutenant.
Earlier, on January 28, Boko Haram fighters attacked a military formation in Damasak, killing seven soldiers, including the commanding officer, during an ambush near the town.

The terrorists reportedly ambushed a patrol team, capturing the officer before executing him alongside other personnel.
On October 20, 2025, the Nigerian Army confirmed the death of Aliyu Saidu Paiko, commanding officer of the 202 Battalion, and other soldiers during an encounter with Boko Haram terrorists in Bama Local Government Area.

Army spokeswoman Appolonia Anele said troops attached to the 21 Special Armoured Brigade under Operation Hadin Kai had earlier resisted terrorists during an attack on October 17 in Kashimri, Bama Local Government Area.
Last Wednesday, fourteen soldiers were reportedly killed during a coordinated attack on a military base in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area. A senior military officer was also killed, while more than 100 people were abducted.

Reacting against the backdrop of the resurgence of attacks targeting both soft and hard targets, HURIWA is calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency for 6 months in Borno State to enable the military to focus more on destroying the terrorists and restoring stability and peace in Borno State .

“For a fact the war on terror in Nigeria has almost been lost. There is the ever urgent need for the federal government to more practically work out quick win solutions to these expanding frontiers of warfare brought upon Nigeria by ISWAP and Boko haram terrorists including the possibility of issuing arms licences to law abiding adult Nigerians(both male and women) to bear sophisticated weapons such as AK-47 and AK-49 riffle.

By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised concerns over what it described as emerging efforts by certain political actors to deploy reputable international media platforms as instruments of political contestation against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the organisation had received information it considers credible suggesting that documentary-style productions and special investigative reports may be in preparation, allegedly aimed at damaging the reputation of the current government.

According to him, preliminary indications suggest that top members of the Federal Executive Council could be principal targets of what the group described as a coordinated reputational offensive.
Onwubiko emphasised that HURIWA is not opposed to investigative journalism, describing it as a cornerstone of democracy that strengthens institutions, exposes wrongdoing, and promotes accountability.

However, he cautioned against what he termed the weaponisation of investigative reporting for political purposes.

“What deeply concerns us is the possibility that investigative reporting could be weaponised as a political tool, particularly where allegations are presented without verifiable and substantiated evidence,” he said.

The civil society organisation noted that there is a growing global pattern during election cycles where information spaces are deliberately manipulated to shape public perception and influence electoral outcomes.

“As we approach the 2027 General Elections, Nigeria must not become vulnerable to such tactics,” Onwubiko stated.

He clarified that the association’s intervention was not intended to shield any individual from scrutiny but to protect the integrity of democratic discourse.

“Where there is credible evidence of wrongdoing, it must be transparently presented and lawfully investigated. No public office holder should be above accountability. But equally, democracy must not become a theatre for campaigns of calumny driven by partisan calculations,” he said.

HURIWA called on international media organisations to uphold the highest standards of editorial independence and evidentiary rigour, urging reputable platforms to ensure that documentary productions are grounded in facts rather than political sponsorship.

The group also urged political actors across party lines to refrain from covert influence operations that could damage Nigeria’s global reputation, while calling on government institutions to remain transparent and open to lawful scrutiny.

It further advised Nigerian citizens to critically evaluate sensational narratives as the country moves closer to the 2027 elections.

“This is not about personalities. It is about institutions. It is not about partisanship. It is about principle,” Onwubiko said, adding that democracy thrives on truth, transparency, and responsibility.

The organisation pledged to continue monitoring developments and to speak out wherever it believes democratic integrity is threatened.

END