A former presidential spokesperson, Laolu Akande, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive action against security and military chiefs who fail to deliver on their mandates, warning that continued underperformance undermines public confidence and national security.
Speaking during the My Take segment of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television on Sunday, Akande acknowledged the President's vision and some policy strides but stressed that escalating violence across the country now threatens to overshadow those efforts.
"But who will tell Mr. President that the problem with some of the good narratives above is that insecurity makes a nonsense of all of them... when blood is being spilled in too many places, there's a palpable fear in the country."
He stressed that justice and security must form the foundation of governance, adding: "That is why people say justice is the first condition of humanity and justice must be at the very heart of governance."
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Akande painted a grim picture of the current security landscape, citing rising attacks across states including Borno, Benue, Plateau, Niger, and Kaduna. He referenced the deadly assault on a military base in Benisheikh, which reportedly led to the death of senior officers, including Brigadier General Oseni Braimo, and the destruction of military assets.
He also highlighted the killing of three commanding officers in separate incidents within a single week in March, underscoring what he described as a troubling pattern of targeted attacks on military leadership.
"Who will tell the President that the number of killings this year alone is alarming... there is a lot of blood and tears and destruction all over the place," he said.
While honouring fallen soldiers, Akande insisted that the scale and frequency of attacks demand urgent attention from the highest levels of government.
Beyond insurgency, he pointed to renewed banditry, including deadly raids in Niger and Plateau states, questioning the effectiveness of prior assurances by the President that such attacks would be curtailed.
Akande further raised concerns about intelligence failures and poor coordination within the security architecture.
He cited claims by Babagana Zulum that authorities had prior intelligence about the Benisheikh attack but failed to act.
"So we knew that this was going to happen, did nothing about it," Akande stated.
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He also referenced earlier concerns raised by Nasir Idris regarding the withdrawal of troops shortly before an attack in his state, describing both incidents as evidence of systemic coordination failures.
According to Akande, the President must urgently address these gaps through stronger leadership and accountability.
"Who will tell the President that he can no longer ignore the dangerous trend of lack of coordination in his government? The President must impose consequences because he is the Commander-in-Chief. If a security or military service chief cannot deliver, Mr. President, please send them packing."
He also reminded Tinubu of his past criticism of former President Goodluck Jonathan over similar security challenges, suggesting that the current situation presents a moment of reckoning.
