SDP faults FG over rising insecurity

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has delivered a scathing assessment of Nigeria’s security situation, declaring that human life has become “distressingly cheap” amid worsening insecurity and accusing the federal government of lacking the political will to protect citizens.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the party said the country was grappling with a full-scale national crisis driven by organised criminality and compounded by what it described as government inaction.

Titled “The High Price of Silence: How Worsening Insecurity Has Devalued Human Life in Nigeria,” the statement painted a grim picture of daily violence, rights violations, and widespread fear across the country.

“Human life is meant to be priceless because of its incomparable worth and sacredness. Sadly, in Nigeria today, the lives of citizens have become distressingly cheap!” the party stated.

According to the SDP, the crisis, which escalated around 2018, has steadily eroded the value of human life, not only through the activities of bandits, armed herdsmen, and unknown gunmen, but also due to what it termed “the silence of a government that has largely turned a blind eye to crimes against its citizens.”

The party detailed what it described as widespread violations of fundamental rights across the country, including killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence.

ALSO READ: Reps to CBN: Stop further disbursement on $460m Abuja CCTV project to ZTE 

“The catalogue of violations is relentless. The right to life is violated daily, as bandits raid villages, kill men before their families, rape women, and abduct schoolchildren for ransom,” the statement read.

It added: “The right to security has collapsed, as major highways like Abuja-Kaduna have become death traps, and farmers have been chased from their ancestral lands, with their rights to livelihood destroyed by invaders.”

The SDP further alleged that women and girls are subjected to extreme abuse in criminal camps.

“Today across Nigeria, women and girls suffer sexual slavery in camps run by bandits and numerous cells of terrorists — a brutal assault on human dignity never experienced in Nigeria!”

Highlighting regional impacts, the party said: “In the North-West and North-Central, armed herdsmen burn entire communities to ashes. In the South-East, unknown gunmen kill security personnel and civilians alike, imposing terror with impunity. In the South-West, marauders have turned rich agricultural farmlands into deserted territories.”

The SDP accused the federal government of failing to act decisively, insisting that the persistence of insecurity is due more to a lack of political will than a lack of capacity.

“The most painful truth is that these atrocities persist not from lack of capacity but from a lack of political will by the government of the day to do the needful to secure our lands and people,” it stated.

It went on to list what it described as shortcomings of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.

“The APC-controlled federal government has: paid ransoms repeatedly instead of mounting decisive military campaigns, thereby fuelling more kidnappings; offered amnesties to bandits who, after the photo ops of the shenanigans, promptly return to crime; criminalised victims while arresting vigilante groups as bandits roam free; and responded with silence or empty phrases like ‘security challenges,’ while mass abductions go unpunished,” the party said.

The party also accused the government of selective attention to incidents of violence.

“The foregoing is selective outrage. A village massacre in Zamfara barely makes the news headlines; it is only when violence creeps near the nation’s capital that the president speaks.

“The message is clear: rural lives matter less to those in power!”

Amid what it described as national failure, the SDP said it has positioned itself as a credible alternative capable of leading a “rescue mission” for the country.

“Amid the national failure, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has strongly and credibly positioned itself as a national political party that is ready to lead a ‘rescue mission’ for Nigeria,” the statement said.

The party outlined a five-point approach to tackling insecurity and governance challenges, including addressing the root causes of violence, ending political control of security agencies, and promoting accountability.

Quoting its National Chairman, Dr Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, the SDP said the government “must make citizens’ safety a top priority by addressing the root causes of violence and instability.”

It also cited its presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, as saying insecurity persists because “politicians” are put in charge of security, adding that he would “stop using security agencies to solve political problems” if elected.

The party further stressed its commitment to transparency and grassroots engagement, stating that governance must be driven by “integrity, vision, and responsiveness to citizens’ needs.”

The SDP argued that the value of human life in Nigeria is now reflected in the government’s response to crises.

“The worth of human life is measured by what a government will risk to save it,” the statement said.

It added: “Today, millions of Nigerians across cities and rural communities live in great despair, in fear of the dangers that lurk around them, and are unable to farm, travel, or sleep peacefully. Their rights have been trampled not only by agents of death but by a state that has chosen to look away.”

The party maintained that it offers a different approach.

“The SDP offers a different path: one where security is prioritised, not politicised; where root causes are addressed; and where the life of every Nigerian, whether in a city or a forgotten village, is treated as priceless.”

It declared that the current administration lacks the capacity to meet its constitutional responsibilities.

“Considering that this government lacks the capacity to deliver on its statutory duty, the SDP assures Nigerians that it stands ready as the only credible alternative political party to offer the leadership that Nigeria and Nigerians deserve.

“The silence must end, and the blind eye must open. Human life must, once again, become sacred in Nigeria.”

The party further accused the federal government of failing in its constitutional duty to ensure security and welfare.

“It therefore, once again, declares, as it recently did, that this present government has failed in its statutory duty according to Chapter 2, Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which provides that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government.”

The SDP also raised concerns over economic conditions, citing poverty, corruption, and infrastructure deficits.

“The SDP is greatly alarmed by the World Bank report, which places Nigeria’s current poverty rate at 63%, with over 140 million Nigerians living below the poverty line; worsening insecurity and widespread violence; severe corruption and poor governance, which combine to exacerbate unemployment and low productivity in the nation’s informal sector that engages a vast majority of the Nigerian population; the increased cost of living; and a generally poor infrastructure architecture which hinders economic growth and brings about wide social inequalities.”

Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, the party urged Nigerians to reject the ruling party at the polls.

“Considering, therefore, the dire situation of Nigeria, the SDP calls on the Nigerian electorate to be intentional and deliberate in taking back their country from the suffocating grip of the present administrators of our national life, whose policies lack the essential human face.”

“The Party submits that it is in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians not to reinforce failure. The APC needs to be rejected at the polls in January 2027, having put up an underwhelming performance over the last eleven years.”

It added: “A total rejection of the APC is the only way to end the prevailing reign of hopelessness and bring about national transformation to create a better life for the people, secure a good Nigerian society for posterity, and make the country take its rightful place as the true giant of Africa and the pride of the black race.”

Describing the election period as critical, the SDP said: “The first quarter of 2027 is a critical juncture and defining moment for national redemption. As a nation that is undeniably in desperate condition, we must not miss the opportunity to pull the country back from the edge of the precipice and place its feet on the path of greatness.”

The party disclosed that it has commenced mobilisation efforts ahead of the polls.

“Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the SDP is already in top gear, mobilising a massive Nigerian People’s Movement for the national rescue mission, and sensitising the electorate across the North and South not to fall for any cheap propaganda and rhetoric of a need for ‘continuity’ or ‘consolidation.’”

“The APC must take its foot off the necks of Nigerians and allow them to breathe.”