Opposition arrowhead and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has again decried continued banditry and kidnapping in the country, calling for an urgent state of emergency on insecurity.

In a statement on X on Sunday, Mr Obi condemned the killings in different parts of the country, especially in Borno and Edo, describing them as evidence of a country trapped in a security full-blown emergency.

“The killing of eight NSCDC officers, the abduction of a Chinese national in Edo, the kidnapping of passengers on the Benin–Iyere–Oluku road, and the slaughter of five soldiers and 58 civilians in Borno are not isolated tragedies,” Mr Obi said. “They are stark evidence that Nigeria is in the grip of a full-blown security emergency.”

While extending his condolences to the families of the victims, the politician added, “Their courage reminds us that we still have men and women who are willing to risk everything for our safety. Their killers must be swiftly apprehended and brought to justice. Their sacrifices must never be forgotten.”

Mr Obi branded the continued insecurity as a form of lawlessness, stressing the need for a rigorous process to reclaim the country.

“When over 100 Nigerians are killed in a single weekend, our casualty figures rival those of countries officially at war. This is no longer business as usual. It is time to declare a national war on insecurity — to mobilise every resource, every agency, every state, and to suspend all distractions while we begin the process of reclaiming our nation from lawlessness,” he noted.

Mr Obi further tasked President Bola Tinubu and other government officials to discontinue foreign trips amid the crisis, stating, “true leadership must be seen at home, personally coordinating the war against insecurity.”

“Junketing around the world under the pretence of wooing investors, while the country bleeds, is to live in denial. Investors will not come into a war zone.”

The politician cited Somalia and Libya as clear instances of countries under siege, advocating urgent steps to prevent the country from descending into anarchy.

“No nation can prosper while its citizens live under siege. History shows that insecurity is the quickest path to national collapse — Somalia and Libya stand as painful warnings. We must act now, with urgency and courage, to prevent a total descent into anarchy and rebuild Nigeria into a safe, secure, and productive nation for all,” Mr Obi noted.