A coalition of forty-eight civil society organisations in Nigeria is urging President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in response to the country’s escalating security challenges. The coalition held a press conference in Abuja on Monday to address their concerns.
Recent events, including the killing of 43 people in two days of clashes in central Plateau State and a series of kidnappings in the capital, Abuja, prompted the call for urgent action.
Auwal Musa, representing the civil groups, stated that 2,423 people have lost their lives in mass-atrocity-related incidents, and approximately 1,872 individuals have been abducted between May 2023, when President Tinubu assumed office, and January 26 of this year.
“We are particularly concerned about the upsurge in abductions, noting that at least 230 incidents, in most of which multiple victims were involved, occurred within the first two weeks of January 2024 alone,” Musa expressed during the press conference.
In response to the heightened threat, Abuja’s police force recently launched a specialised squad aimed at tackling kidnapping gangs. The civil society organisations, however, emphasise the urgency of a broader approach to address the overall security crisis, calling for the declaration of a state of emergency.