In a statement issued in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state on Monday, the elder statesman charged the Federal Government to wake up to its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property, stressing that the recent wave of killings, kidnappings, and coordinated terrorist attacks “paints the picture of a nation in distress”.

Recalling the recent incidents of insurgency in the country, he said, “In the last few days alone, Brigadier General Musa Uba and three of his men were kidnapped and executed in Borno State. Over 64 citizens, including women and children, were abducted in Zamfara’s Tsafe Local Government Area. In Kebbi, 25 female students and their principal were kidnapped, and their vice principal killed.

“Christians praying in Kwara were attacked, leaving three dead and 38 kidnapped. A police officer was killed in Geidam, Yobe State. In Gwoza, eight Civilian Joint Task Force members were murdered and three kidnapped. In Sokoto, 15 people, nursing mothers and newborns among them, were abducted and two killed. Only days ago, more than 300 students were kidnapped from a Catholic school in Niger State.

“These tragedies are no longer isolated events; they have become daily realities in many parts of Nigeria. The pattern of attacks have been consistent, coordinated, and increasingly brutal and shows that terrorism has grown beyond what any responsible government should tolerate.

“Schools are being shut down, families are afraid to send their children out, farmers have abandoned their fields, and worshipers no longer feel safe in their own sanctuaries. Nigeria is dangerously close to normalising terror.”

Essien expressed surprise that President Bola Tinubu, who was once among the loudest critics of the Jonathan government, demanding accountability for every life lost has failed to demonstrate the urgency or clarity required in the spate of insecurity bedeviling his administration.

He also charged government to be intentional and holistic in tackling insecurity by addressing the root cause such as uncontrolled population, poverty, corruption and intolerance to oppositin even as he stated that appointments into sensitive offices like security should not be a political reward but rather based on competence and capacity.

“Equally troubling are the appointments of defence ministers with little or no experience in security or defence operations. At a time when Nigeria is fighting highly adaptive terrorist networks, the defence sector must be led by individuals with strategic insight, operational competence, and deep knowledge of security matters.

“Defence is not a political reward; it is the backbone of national survival. Allegations that some officials harbour sympathies for terrorist groups or maintain questionable links with them only deepen public anxiety. A nation cannot defeat terror when elements of its security architecture may be compromised,” the elder statesman stated.