The Report
As reported by The Nation journalist Lateef Dada, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Hon. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has issued a statement urging Nigerians to remain calm and continue supporting the federal government and security agencies in addressing the country’s security challenges. Speaking in Osogbo on Sunday, Oyintiloye expressed confidence that the current insecurity would eventually become history with collective support. He highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day declaration of “zero tolerance” for terrorists and their collaborators as evidence of the administration’s commitment. Oyintiloye also called on state governors to fund and strengthen security operations at the grassroots level, improve local intelligence gathering, and urged citizens to stay vigilant and cooperate with security agencies.
Nigeria Time News Analysis
From a Nigerian policy perspective, Oyintiloye’s statement reflects a recurring pattern in the country’s political discourse: the call for patience and support for federal security efforts, even as mass abductions and violent attacks persist. While the APC chieftain’s appeal is politically aligned, it underscores a critical governance gap—the disconnect between federal-level declarations and state-level implementation. Tinubu’s “zero tolerance” rhetoric, while symbolically important, has yet to translate into measurable reductions in kidnapping or banditry, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions. Oyintiloye’s emphasis on state governors funding local security operations is noteworthy, as it implicitly acknowledges that the federal security architecture alone is insufficient. This aligns with broader ECOWAS trends where member states are increasingly devolving security responsibilities to sub-national governments, as seen in Ghana’s district-level security committees and Niger’s local vigilante partnerships. For the Nigerian diaspora, the continued insecurity raises concerns about investment climate and family safety, potentially affecting remittance flows and return migration. The call for intelligence cooperation from citizens also highlights the persistent challenge of trust between communities and security forces, a dynamic that has historically hampered counter-insurgency efforts in the Lake Chad Basin.
Regional Context
Nigeria’s security crisis is not isolated. Across West Africa, the Sahelian insurgency has spilled into coastal states, with ECOWAS struggling to coordinate a unified response. The region has seen a 250% increase in violent extremist activity since 2019, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Nigeria’s internal security challenges—banditry, kidnapping, and farmer-herder conflicts—are exacerbated by transnational arms trafficking and weak border controls. Oyintiloye’s call for state-level action mirrors recommendations from the ECOWAS Commission, which has urged member states to strengthen community policing and local intelligence networks as a complement to national military operations. Without such grassroots integration, federal pledges risk remaining aspirational.
Original Reporting By: The Nation