By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
OUTSPOKEN Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kunle Edun, has condemned what he described as the Federal Government’s failure to protect citizens amid worsening insecurity, calling on President Bola Tinubu to “stop the massacre and save Nigeria before it is too late.”
In a passionate statement released on Friday, Edun said Nigerians are living in fear as terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers continue to wreak havoc across the country, while politicians move about with heavily armed escorts paid for by taxpayers.
“Human lives seem to have no value except those of politicians guarded by armed policemen and soldiers,” he said. “Meanwhile, ordinary Nigerians are being killed in their hundreds daily. If we can’t solve this problem ourselves, we shouldn’t be ashamed to seek foreign help.”
Edun noted that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the unending bloodshed, but warned that attacks in parts of Plateau and Benue states, where hundreds of Christians have been slaughtered, could be seen as genocidal if left unchecked.
“It is not enough to say there is no genocide with our mouths,” he cautioned. “Government actions must show that every life — Christian, Muslim, traditionalist, or atheist — truly matters. Section 10 of the Constitution declares Nigeria a secular state, yet governments still fund religious pilgrimages and projects. We are a nation steeped in religion but without holiness.”
While urging cooperation with global partners, Edun drew a clear line against any foreign military intervention in Nigeria.
“What I will not support is a foreign country invading Nigeria under the pretext of solving our security issues. Nigeria is a sovereign nation. Only Nigerians, through the parliament and ballot box, can determine their future,” he maintained.
The SAN accused successive governments of shielding criminals and tolerating corruption at the expense of national peace. He urged Tinubu to “end the politics of appeasement” and bring known sponsors of terrorism and their collaborators to justice.
“Information shows that the sponsors of terrorism are not hidden. They are known to government and its security agencies,” Edun alleged. “No serious government should act as if it’s okay when its citizens are being killed like chickens.”
Expressing cautious optimism about the recent shake-up in the military hierarchy, he said it should send a clear message that the government is ready to act decisively.
“Both the U.S. and Nigeria have more to gain through cooperation on security. But at home, we must start by arresting the known financiers of terror and saying never again — never again should communities in Plateau, Benue, and the Middle Belt be wiped out and displaced by bandits,” he declared.
Edun also bemoaned the paradox of a resource-rich country burdened by poverty, corruption, and insecurity.
“With all our wealth, we still have a struggling economy, high kidnapping rates, and a political class that seems not to care about citizens’ suffering,” he lamented. “The black world looks up to Nigeria for leadership, yet we are cursed by the kind of characters ruling us.”
Calling for decisive leadership, Edun urged President Tinubu to match words with action.
“This is not the time for speeches or blame games. The government must protect its people, or history will remember this generation of leaders for standing by while Nigeria bled.”
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