The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has called for the immediate sack of the nation’s Service Chiefs, the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Ministers of Defence following the recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the United States government.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National President, Comrade Isah Abubakar, the U.S. designation was described as “a stark indictment” of Nigeria’s current security management and a reflection of the nation’s security leadership’s failure to protect lives and property.
“The time for complacency is over. The safety of Nigerian citizens must take absolute precedence over political considerations,” Abubakar said.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently relieve the current Ministers of Defence of their duties, citing what he described as “a critical failure of oversight, coordination, and strategic direction” in managing the country’s worsening insecurity.
According to Abubakar, the NSA should also be replaced with a more competent and experienced individual, preferably from among retired, highly decorated military generals who possess a deeper understanding of Nigeria’s complex security landscape and can bring a renewed strategic vision to national defence.
The NYCN president further demanded the immediate retirement of the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police to pave the way for a holistic restructuring of the nation’s security architecture.
“The entire security command chain, from the military to internal law enforcement, requires a total overhaul to restore public confidence and operational efficiency”.
Abubakar also blamed the persistent insecurity on poor coordination between the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Defence Ministry, adding that the lack of synergy among the security agencies had weakened Nigeria’s counter-insurgency efforts and allowed criminal networks to thrive.
“The current crop of appointees lacks the coordinated command necessary to salvage this dire situation. Nigeria needs fresh, tested hands who understand both strategy and field realities,” the group added.
He noted that the northern region has suffered the worst impact of insecurity, with lives lost daily to terrorism, banditry, and communal violence, saying Nigerians were fast losing faith in the government’s capacity to protect them.
“The NYCN stands ready to support any sincere effort to secure the lives and properties of all Nigerians”.
