Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and elder statesman, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has accused some state governors of enabling terrorist activities through direct engagement with armed groups and a failure to take decisive action against them.
He issued the warning during a televised interview on ARISE News on Wednesday, where he proposed sweeping security reforms including large-scale military recruitment, a nationwide state of emergency, military tribunals and the suspension of constitutional immunity for governors.
Akinyemi argued that Nigeria’s security architecture has become grossly inadequate for the scale of the current crisis, insisting that the armed forces must be expanded immediately.
He endorsed proposals for urgent mass enlistment and the recall of recently retired personnel, saying the military is overstretched and unable to confront the widening threats. “The soldiers that are there now, they are overstretched… So we need to address these shortcomings,” he said. “I also agree that those who have retired under the Armed Forces Act in the last six months should be recalled.”
Justifying his push for emergency rule and military tribunals, Akinyemi said such measures were necessary both to curb escalating terrorism and to ward off potential foreign military intervention. “I am motivated to make these suggestions in order to head off any practical moves by Trump… That’s why I said we should have a state of emergency,” he stated. According to him, emergency powers would enable government to take actions that normal democratic processes may delay.
He warned that terrorists are operating with increasing boldness across multiple regions. “These terrorists are running amok… they are in the northwest, they are in the middle belt… When do you then want to come to a conclusion that actually they have overrun the whole country?” he asked.
Akinyemi maintained that a state of emergency would give the federal government the latitude to act swiftly. “It allows the government to do things which it cannot do when you are stuck in the National Assembly… You have a military tribunal which allows you to deal with the situation expeditiously,” he said. He further claimed that many of the fighters are foreigners, arguing that emergency powers would also permit government to deport individuals involved in terrorism.
Defending his proposals, he rejected suggestions that the measures were anti-democratic. He cited the United States’ use of military tribunals for terrorism-related cases as an example. “These propositions… on the surface may look like they are anti-democratic… but we need to look at what the United States is doing… go to Guantanamo Bay where they have military tribunals to deal with terrorists,” he said.
On allegations that some governors may be complicit in emboldening terrorists, the former minister was unequivocal. He claimed that reports of terrorists moving openly with weapons and being entertained by government officials were alarming enough to warrant punitive actions. “You see terrorists openly with their guns coming into the city to have weddings… They are entertained by government officials,” he said. He dismissed claims that governors were unaware of such incidents, adding: “You want to tell me that a governor who is the chief security officer of a state does not know that terrorists are operating in his state?”
Akinyemi insisted that constitutional immunity for governors should be suspended during a state of emergency to ensure accountability. “If terrorists can openly carry weapons into your territory, and they are entertained by officials… then the government must know something about it,” he said. “Under the state of emergency, you could restrict the government of its immunity… We must take this thing seriously.”
He rejected interpretations that he was calling for military rule, arguing instead that Nigeria must reconsider its strategies in light of worsening insecurity. According to him, persistent instability increases the likelihood of external intervention. “When the most powerful man in the world threatens you with his own troops… the devil is at the door knocking… we don’t want that devil to come in,” he warned.
Akinyemi also criticised longstanding approaches to combating insurgency, calling them ineffective. “For how many years have we been dealing with the terror? And it keeps expanding… If you are using the same measure… and you are not getting the results… then you ought to re-embrace the way I’m going to be dealing with it,” he said. He dismissed negotiations with terrorists as counterproductive, arguing that ransom payments only fund further violence.
He said his proposals were intended to signal seriousness to both the Nigerian and U.S. governments. He commended the recent mission by the National Security Adviser to Washington, describing it as a positive step, but stressed the need for continued diplomatic engagement. He added that he wants to hear a clear statement of confidence from U.S. President Donald Trump that Nigeria is moving in the right direction.
The former minister also urged broader domestic engagement beyond the security forces. He called for deeper collaboration with traditional rulers, religious leaders and community structures, arguing that the crisis requires whole-of-society participation. “There is more engagement that is needed with the traditional rulers, with priests and imams… Nigerians are being killed,” he said.
On intelligence-sharing with the United States, Akinyemi cautioned that deeper cooperation does not necessarily mean American troops must be deployed to Nigeria. However, he warned that intelligence partnerships must be carefully managed to avoid undermining Nigerian operations.
Akinyemi concluded that Nigeria is facing an existential threat requiring urgent, extraordinary action. Anything short of decisive measures, he said, risks worsening insecurity at home and the possibility of unwelcome foreign intervention.
