CHRAN Urges Tinubu To Declare Emergency On Nigeria’s Security Crisis

June 14 () — The Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on Nigeria’s worsening security situation, warning that the persistent wave of kidnappings and violent attacks across the country poses a grave threat to national stability.

The call was made by the Akwa Ibom State Director of CHRAN, Otuekong Franklyn Isong, during the organisation’s 2026 Democracy Day Annual Public Lecture held in Uyo with the theme, “The Dangers of Vote Selling in a Democracy.”

Isong urged the President to work with the 36 state governors and the National Assembly to urgently establish state police and a National Forest Guard system as part of efforts to overhaul the country’s security architecture.

According to him, the current security challenges require immediate and decisive action, including the decentralisation of policing powers to strengthen security at the sub-national level.

“The Centre urges the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to declare a state of emergency on the security situation facing the federation as a matter of urgent public importance”, Isong said.

He also expressed concern over recent cases of school abductions in Borno and Oyo states, calling on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts toward securing the release of the affected students and teachers.

While commending Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for supporting security initiatives in the state, Isong stressed that security remains a collective responsibility and urged citizens to collaborate with law enforcement agencies.

The CHRAN director further criticised the performance of some local government councils in Akwa Ibom State, urging council chairmen to complement the state government’s development efforts through the execution of projects that directly impact the lives of residents.

On the 2027 general elections, Isong appealed to political actors to conduct their campaigns with decorum and responsibility, while urging voters to exercise their franchise based on conviction rather than financial inducement.

Delivering the keynote lecture, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Enefiok Essien, described vote trading as a serious threat to democracy and good governance.

He said Nigerians must be sensitised to their civic responsibilities and encouraged to reject vote buying and selling in all forms.

Essien identified poverty and unemployment as major drivers of vote trading and urged governments at all levels to diversify the economy and create jobs to reduce citizens’ vulnerability to electoral inducement.

The former Vice-Chancellor also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to adopt stronger measures to curb vote trading during elections.

He recommended that voting cubicles be positioned away from public view and that voters be prohibited from carrying mobile phones into voting areas to prevent the photographing of ballot papers for verification by vote buyers.

Earlier, Chairman of the Planning Committee and Founder of the Uyo Book Club, Dr Udeme Nana, reflected on the significance of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, describing it as a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic history.

He noted that the election demonstrated the capacity of Nigerians to rise above ethnic and religious considerations in choosing their leaders and urged both politicians and voters to embrace the same spirit ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to Nana, June 12 remains a powerful reminder of a period when Nigerians voted freely and massively without the influence of vote buying, setting a democratic standard worthy of emulation.