The Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to unveil and commence implementation of concrete, measurable measures to tackle the worsening wave of kidnappings across Nigeria.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Judith Aguenu, the group expressed alarm that Nigerians now live in constant fear as criminal gangs operate with brazen impunity on highways, in homes, schools, farms, places of worship, and entire communities. The DLA criticised the government’s plan to recruit 1,000 forest guards as grossly inadequate and failing to match the scale of the national emergency. “Millions of Nigerians live in fear. Hardly a day passes without reports of citizens being abducted. The fear of kidnapping has become a major obstacle to freedom of movement, economic activities, agricultural production, and social development,” the statement declared.
The alliance highlighted the devastating impact on rural communities, where farmers are abandoning farmlands due to safety concerns, thereby worsening food security and deepening economic hardship. Many DLA members have reportedly been directly affected by the scourge. The group called on President Bola Tinubu to formally declare kidnapping a national emergency and activate stronger multi-pronged policies that go beyond mere security deployments. These should include addressing underlying economic conditions fuelling criminality, strengthening intelligence gathering, tackling corruption in security agencies, improving inter-agency coordination, deploying modern surveillance technology, and ensuring swift prosecution of offenders and their sponsors.
The DLA warned that failure to demonstrate measurable progress within the 14-day period would force the group to pursue lawful democratic measures, including intensified public advocacy, stakeholder engagements, and legal actions to highlight the plight of ordinary Nigerians. This ultimatum comes amid persistent reports of mass abductions, especially in the North-West, North-Central, and parts of the South. Security experts attribute the rise in kidnapping to weak law enforcement, high unemployment, porous borders, and the proliferation of illegal arms.
Stakeholders continue to demand urgent and decisive action from the government to restore public confidence in the nation’s security architecture. The development underscores growing frustration with the government’s handling of insecurity and could pile more pressure on the Tinubu administration as it navigates multiple security and economic challenges.
