Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has raised alarm over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, warning that the country has effectively lost large portions of its territory to insurgents and other non-state actors.
Sowore made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja while expressing solidarity with members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) ahead of their planned nationwide protest against rising insecurity.
“The country is bleeding, and this situation must be urgently addressed,” Sowore said. “The leadership of Nigeria has failed in its primary responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens.”
He lamented the increasing frequency of kidnappings and attacks across the country, noting that even places of worship are no longer safe. “People are being abducted from churches and mosques alike. It does not matter whether you are Muslim or Christian,” he said.
Sowore further highlighted the plight of abducted schoolchildren, pointing out that more than 250 children remain in captivity with little public outrage or sustained government action.
He also decried what he described as the humiliation of Nigeria’s armed forces, claiming that even Nigerian Air Force personnel have been captured by hostile forces.
“Everything appears to have broken down,” he said. “That is why we are here—to peacefully march with the NLC and say clearly: enough is enough.”
Rejecting arguments that insecurity has always been part of Nigeria’s history, Sowore insisted that the current situation is unprecedented. “This level of insecurity has never existed in Nigeria,” he said. “Even during the Civil War—something I only read about—life continued in many parts of the country.”
He painted a grim picture of nationwide instability, describing all regions as unsafe. “The Southeast is unsafe. The Southwest is unsafe. The Northwest is under siege. The Northeast has been almost completely taken over,” he said.
According to Sowore, the scale of the crisis goes beyond isolated attacks, amounting to a loss of state control. “In territorial terms, Nigeria has lost nearly 30 per cent of its landmass to non-state actors—groups that call themselves bandits, kidnappers, or terrorists,” he said. “The reality is that the leadership of Nigeria appears to have lost effective control of the country.”
Sowore called for urgent, decisive action, warning that continued inaction could further erode national stability and public trust in government institutions.
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