•Shehu Sani
Nigeria must accept help from global powers — including the United States and China — as the country’s internal security crisis stretches into a fifteenth year without a decisive victory over terrorists and bandits, Senator Shehu Sani has said.
Speaking shortly after a one-day high-level security summit he convened yesterday in Abuja, the former lawmaker stressed that while foreign assistance is welcome, ultimate responsibility for securing the nation rests squarely on the shoulders of Nigeria’s leaders, security agencies, and citizens, reports Saturday Independent.
The interview came immediately after the Africa Freedom Foundation (AFF) and Yari Roundtable jointly hosted the One-Day National Security Summit in Abuja, where key stakeholders, policymakers, religious leaders, security experts and civil society actors gathered to examine Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.
Senator Sani said Nigerians are increasingly turning to foreign countries and international organisations because they feel domestic efforts are inadequate.
“When someone goes outside the family to seek help, it is because the problem can no longer be solved within the family,” he said.
He referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s classification of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” arguing that such external attention, while uncomfortable, should be viewed as a wake-up call rather than an embarrassment.
“Whether we are declared a country of particular concern or not, it is our people that are being killed,” he said.
“The focus must be on solutions, not labels.”
On foreign assistance, Senator Sani advocated a pragmatic approach.
“If the U.S. or China want to help us, we welcome it with open arms,” he said.
“If they know where these terrorists are, and can assist in ending this violence, we appreciate it.”
However, he cautioned strongly that foreign involvement must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“They cannot know our country better than we do,” he said.
“Foreign nations must work with our security agencies so there is control, coordination and respect.”
He emphasised that the terrorists ravaging Nigeria are not foreigners.
“These are not people from outer space,” he said.
“They are mostly Nigerians from the northern part of the country. It is our own internal crisis.”
The summit, moderated by Senator Sani, featured intense discussions on governance failures, misuse of security funds, human rights abuses, and the rising wave of banditry and terrorism spreading across the North-West, North-Central and parts of the South.
Addressing participants earlier during the summit, Senator Sani declared that Nigeria was “at a critical juncture,” insisting that the federal government must embrace transparency, accountability, and national dialogue if the tide of violence is to be reversed.
“We are at a critical juncture. The urgency for national dialogue cannot be overstated,” he said.
“The misuse of security funds must end, and our leaders must show accountability. Only through transparency and a united front can we address the root causes of violence and insecurity in our country.”
He lamented that despite billions of naira appropriated annually to defense and internal security, citizens continue to live in fear, communities are destroyed almost weekly, and the state struggles to contain non-state armed groups.
According to him, the persistence of insecurity across successive administrations is proof that Nigeria’s approach requires a radical, honest review.
The summit also witnessed passionate appeals from religious leaders who condemned ongoing killings and demanded decisive intervention from the government.
Archbishop Dr. James Malgit of the Plateau Diocese decried what he called a “season of national mourning without end,” noting that the killings in Plateau, Kaduna, Benue and other states have stripped families of hope and left communities traumatized.
“The killing of innocent citizens must stop,” Archbishop Malgit declared to applause. “The government must take immediate action to end the bloodshed. We can no longer stand by as people suffer.”
Chief Imam Mal. Abubakar Sadiq Yusuf of Kaduna State Polytechnic also warned that kidnappings in northern Nigeria are rising at an alarming rate. He said communities are losing children, farmers and travellers every day, creating an atmosphere of fear that undermines education, commerce and social life.
“We are losing more lives every day to kidnappings and senseless killings,” he said.
“The government must take decisive action to secure our communities and protect our children.”
Both Muslim and Christian leaders at the summit urged the government to ensure strict monitoring of security funds. They cautioned that any financial leakages or political diversions in the security sector would come at the cost of human lives.
In his post-summit interview, Senator Sani deepened his warnings, describing Nigeria as a “nation defaced with violence, bloodshed and uprising,” adding that the country can no longer afford the illusion that all is well.
“Nigeria is 65 years old, and in these years we have survived storms, turbulence and strife,” he said. “But today, we are confronted by gangs of terrorists and bandits who have made themselves invisible, killing our people, burning homes, kidnapping students, attacking churches and mosques.”
He reminded Nigerians that despite the controversial belief that northern leaders would handle northern insecurity better, the north remains the epicentre of violence even under administrations led by northerners.
“Insecurity has persisted under different administrations — including northern leaders — yet the northern part of the country has remained the epicenter of bloodshed,” he noted.
Responding to concerns about the conduct of certain clerics whose pronouncements occasionally inflame tension, Senator Sani said Nigerians have legitimate concerns about any form of impunity that undermines state authority.
“When clerics or any influential figures behave as though they are higher than the state, it fuels disorder and weakens our collective security architecture,” he said. “At a time when our country is fighting for stability, every voice must be responsible.”
But he stressed that while incendiary sermons contribute to tension, they are not the root cause of Nigeria’s insecurity. The deeper issues, he argued, are governance failures, poverty, porous borders, and the state’s inability to enforce the rule of law consistently.
The senator questioned why Nigeria, once celebrated for its role in restoring peace in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, and Somalia, has not been able to defeat terrorists on its own soil.
“For fifteen years, government after government has failed to secure the lives of our people,” he lamented. “Hundreds of billions of our own taxpayers’ money, and millions of dollars in foreign support, have been poured into defense and security, but the problem persists.”
He said this persistent failure is at the core of public frustration.
“We cannot have a nation when people are being killed and we do nothing,” he said.
“We cannot have a nation when the homes of our people are razed, when churches and mosques are destroyed, when children are not safe in their schools.”
According to him, any government that cannot protect its people has failed in its most basic duty.
“If you cannot protect the lives of the people, you have no reason to be in office,” he said bluntly.
Senator Sani urged Nigerian leaders to shed the culture of arrogance and embrace inclusive dialogue.
“Being in government does not mean you have the monopoly of knowledge,” he said.
“Leadership must reach out, discuss, listen and adopt ideas that can save lives.”
He commended clerics and civil society groups who have united in calling for peace, saying such unity shows that Nigerians are committed to ending bloodshed.
“We are all united in the search for peace,” he said. “But unity is useless if people continue to die daily.”
Senator Sani’s final remarks captured the urgency and human tragedy behind the statistics.
“Every day, Muslims are killed in Katsina, Christians are killed in Benue. Muslims die in Zamfara, Christians in Plateau. We bury people every day,” he lamented. “What are we talking about? This is a matter of life and death. We need real, urgent solutions.”
He rejected the idea of foreign troops taking over Nigeria’s security architecture but warned that global powers will inevitably show interest if Nigeria fails to protect its own citizens.
“The present and the future of our country belong to us,” he said. “America will always put America first. China will always put China first. So we must put Nigeria first.”
“But if others want to help us stop the killings,” he added, “we should welcome them — with open arms.”
