- Urges collective action in fighting insecurity and strengthening justice delivery
With insecurity dominating national discourse and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, insisting that security has greatly improved, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has stressed that security is a fundamental right for all Nigerians and not a privilege subject to discretion.
This is even as the fate of six Nigerian Law School students who were kidnapped last Saturday in Benue State by suspected gunmen while travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State remains unclear.
Osigwe made this assertion at the NBA North-Central Security Summit held in Makurdi, Benue State.
The summit, titled “Strengthening Security, Rule of Law, and Justice Delivery in North-Central Nigeria,” was organized in collaboration with the Benue State Government and brought together key stakeholders from across the region.
Delivering the keynote address, Osigwe referenced Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution, stressing that national security is a constitutional duty of the state. He raised concern over the worsening security situation in the region, pointing to the recent abduction of six law students en route to law school and the massacre of more than 200 residents in Benue’s Yelewata community.
“These are not isolated tragedies. They reflect a larger breakdown in our security framework,” he said, urging for a focus on intelligence-gathering and proactive, collaborative responses involving all stakeholders.
Osigwe called on policymakers, security operatives, traditional rulers, and legal practitioners to develop sustainable, community-based strategies to restore peace and justice in the region.
“Security is everyone’s responsibility,” he noted. “And it begins with strong, courageous conversations like the ones we are having at this summit.”
He expressed hope that the summit would lead to concrete policy actions aimed at combating insecurity and improving justice delivery in the North-Central zone and beyond.
Security is not a favour from government — it’s a fundamental right. The NBA President’s call for collective action underscores the urgent need to move beyond rhetoric and ensure every Nigerian feels safe and protected.