- As Reps warn of citizens’ revolt
Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has said that a “spiritual solution” is part of what Nigeria needs to overcome the growing wave of insecurity across the country.
Vice Admiral Ogalla spoke on Thursday at Navy Town, Asokoro, Abuja, while commissioning three newly completed places of worship as part of activities marking the 69th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.
Addressing officers, personnel, and guests, the Naval Chief emphasised the role of spiritual fortitude in combating national threats such as insurgency and terrorism.
“We recognise that the challenges of insurgency, terrorism, and other forms of irregular threats that are facing us today are challenges that require a whole of society approach,” he said.
“So, while we look for the military solutions, we also believe that the spiritual solution is part of what we need to be able to surmount them,” he added.
He further noted that the new religious centres, designed to serve both Christian and Muslim personnel, are essential for building moral strength and national unity.
“And these places of worship are key to shaping the minds and shaping the characters of not only our personnel but other Nigerians who use it,” Ogalla said.
Also, Commander, Naval Unit Abuja, Commodore Oluseyi Oladipo disclosed that the new facilities—the Catholic Church, the Church of Redemption, and the Central Mosque—would serve residents of Navy Town, Admiralty and Lakeview Estates, and function as the hub for the Directorate of Naval Chaplain Services and the Directorate of Islamic Affairs.
The Naval Chief’s comments come as the country continues to grapple with rising insecurity. Recently, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum raised the alarm over fresh insurgent activity and the capture of some communities in the northeast state.
Weeks ago, the House of Representatives warned of citizens revolt, if the Federal Government failed to address insecurity in the country, which has been on the upswing in the last few weeks.
This came on a day Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, told his colleagues that the insecurity and parlous state of the nation’s economy are stretching the patience and resilience of Nigerians to the limit, and asked them to respond with legislative actions.
Lawmakers from areas ravaged by insurgency and killings by herdsmen in the country, who led the debate on the issue at plenary, also accused the Presidency of not doing enough to resolve the insecurity problem in the country, despite the over N19.7 trillion spent on security.
The debate in the House was sparked by a motion of urgent public importance moved by Ahmed Satomi on the recent fire at the armoury at Giwa Barracks and the escalating attacks on military formations in Borno and Yobe states, respectively.
The motion soon snowballed into emotional testimonies and dire warnings, with some lawmakers declaring that if urgent steps are not taken by government to solve the problem, Nigerians might turn on their elected representatives.
In his contribution, Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau) rebuked those downplaying the severity of the crisis, saying “when the governor is crying and someone within the comfort of his zone says the governor is raising an unnecessary alarm, we are rascals. Nigerians are being killed. This is unacceptable.
“Until the right thing is done by us here, until government responds with action, not just media statements, don’t bet that any member of the National Assembly is safe. We may be attacked not by Boko Haram, but by the people that elected you and I.
‘’Time will come when, if action is not taken, Nigerians will take their destinies in their own hands.
“Mr. Speaker, we must stand up and find a way of bringing this issue of insecurity to a halt, otherwise, you and I are not safe. No matter how Nigerians respect us, we are moving to a level that they will fight us the way they fight criminals and the way they fight Boko Haram.
On his part, Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno), whose constituency includes Chibok, gave a chilling account of Boko Haram’s exploits in his area.
He said: “10 farmers were slaughtered in Pulka; 14 in Chibok, and military officers at Izge and Kampu. In Wajiboko, Boko Haram used weaponised drones. The Nigerian Army is outgunned and undermanned. I have seen it, nobody told me, I was there.”
Jaha warned the House not to be complacent, saying “between 2015 and 2019, the government spent N19.7 trillion on security, yet Boko Haram is resurging, worse than ever. We must do proper oversight.
“Mr. Speaker, I am talking as a victim of the recent resurgence of Boko Haram insurgence. I went to my constituency on Saturday to sympathise, to condone with the people that lost their lives as a result of this sporadic, uninterrupted attack.
“In my constituency in Pulka, 10 peasant farmers went out to scavenge for what we call ‘sawroot.’ They were slaughtered by Boko Haram members and five are still missing, while three are critically ill in the hospital. In Chibok, 14 peasant farmers were attacked in their community.
“In the twinkle of an eye, they (insurgents) reduced 14 people to nothing. People were cut down while running for their lives by insurgents firing new AK-47 rifles. I lost two military officers as a result of the attack.
‘’In Kampu, I lost two men and one military officer. This will be on record. They (Boko Haram) are using armed drones, weaponised drones, which the Nigerian Army is not using. In other words, they are more sophisticated and advanced than the Nigerian Army.
“Boko Haram is coming back worse than what we had in the past. Take it or leave it. Boko Haram are coming back. Let us do something serious in order not to go back to the days 22 local governments out of 27 were occupied by Boko Haram.
“We shouldn’t be complacent with this. I align with the Deputy Speaker by saying we should do our part by doing proper oversight as expected, because between 2015 and 2019, Nigerian government spent N19.7 trillion on security issues. I have the record with me. So we shouldn’t be complacent.’’
In her contribution, Zainab Gimba (APC, Borno) corroborated the use of drones and foreign fighters in recent attacks.
She said: “In my constituency, 20 soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram ambush on a multinational force base. The commander told me that among the insurgents were several white men; there is foreign influence here.’’
She condemned the positioning of military formations within cities, citing the Giwa Barracks fire in Maiduguri, which led to explosion of military bombs.
“Before the public knew what was happening, panic had already spread. These formations should be outside city centres. Our lives should not be politicised.
“Mr. Speaker, another issue of concern for this House is that the exit of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali from ECOWAS has also posed a lot of threat, especially at the border of Mali and other Nigerian borders.
‘’If there is no synergy, this insurgency will pose several threats to the country, not only to the state.
“We are giving the impression that the fire in Maiduguri came as a result of either a fire source or whatever within the barracks. On that particular day, there wasn’t any Boko Haram attack.
“In my own constituency, in Mungo, Mr. Speaker, there has been a Boko Haram attack on military formation of the multinational joint task force where more than 20 soldiers were killed.
“It will interest you to know that I visited that formation and the commander told me that out of about 100 soldiers in that formation, we have only six Nigerian soldiers. And it is a multinational joint task force where we expect to have, if not equal number, at least substantive number of Nigerian military men.
‘’Again, Mr. Speaker, the commanding officer of that formation revealed that it wasn’t the first or the second time the formation has been attacked, but on that very day, March 24, 2025, the attack was unprecedented.’’
‘Let citizens defend themselves’
Also contributing, Shettima Ali (APC, Yobe) called for legislative reform to allow citizens defend themselves.
He said: “Let this House create a law that permits our people to protect themselves. The security forces are not enough and don’t know the terrain.
“Our people are being killed by the day. I want this House to come up with another idea to deal with our people, we have to think of how to create a law that will allow our people protect themselves; we just need this thing.
“Like Jaha said, our security personnel are inadequate, they don’t know the terrain of our communities, though they are trying their best.’’
In a more sober tone, Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos) said the Federal Government’s security spending is not yielding results.
He said: “The presidency has spent so much on the military without commensurate outcomes. We need drastic measures.
The House, however, resolved to investigate the cause of the fire at Giwa Barracks armoury in Maiduguri to prevent a recurrence.
It also resolved to conduct a thorough review of security measures in military installations to prevent similar incidents, ask the Federal Government to strengthen security operations in Borno and Yobe states to protect military personnel and civilians, and provide support as well as compensation to families of soldiers affected by the incidents.
The House also mandated the Committee on Army, Defence and National Security to investigate and report back within weeks.
