‘Insecurity Is Big Business in Nigeria’ – Sowore

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has launched a fierce critique of Nigeria’s security establishment, declaring that the country’s persistent insecurity is not accidental but a profitable enterprise sustained by political and economic elites.

Speaking at a public forum, Sowore argued that Nigeria’s security problem is deliberately maintained because it enriches a powerful minority within government and the armed forces. According to him, only about one percent of the population enjoys real protection, while the rest of the country is left exposed as “statistics in a criminal security business.”

He claimed the Nigeria Police Force’s official figure of 350,000 personnel is misleading, revealing that only about 210,000 officers are currently functional, as many have reportedly relocated abroad while still receiving salaries. Out of the active number, he said more than 110,000 are deployed to political office holders and business elites as VIP protection, leaving only about 100,000 officers to secure over 230 million citizens. Sowore described the recent directive to withdraw police from VIPs as an unserious policy that could never be implemented in a system where leaders depend on “state-funded bodyguards to survive.”

Sowore insisted that Nigeria’s insecurity persists because it is lucrative for those he called “structural criminals” within the system. He referenced disclosures by a retired senior military officer who accused the security establishment of intentionally ignoring actionable intelligence against key terror figures. He questioned how insurgents could evade capture for years while the military easily attacks rural communities with no political influence.

The activist linked the wider crisis to leadership failure and structural decay, arguing that Nigerian leaders intentionally created a system that cannot protect its people. He narrated an encounter with a Fulani herder controlling cattle valued at over N40 million who refused to use a bank out of distrust for financial institutions, saying such systemic failures stem from government refusal to develop modern solutions like ranching infrastructure.

Sowore also rejected the idea that state or local police would solve Nigeria’s problems, warning that any policing system built on a corrupt foundation would replicate the same failures. According to him, structural reform—not mere administrative adjustments—is necessary for meaningful security.

He further condemned what he described as elite hypocrisy surrounding issues of injustice, citing the treatment of detained agitator Nnamdi Kanu as an example of how unfair state actions fuel resentment and insecurity. The activist said intellectuals who supported his prosecution must now confront the consequences of enabling injustice.

In one of his most controversial remarks, Sowore questioned the legitimacy of Nigeria’s national identity, arguing that the country was never designed to function as a real nation. He described Nigeria as “a supermarket created by British businessmen,” insisting that no meaningful nationhood can emerge from a structure built on exploitation.

He also accused successive governments of deliberately destroying education, noting that leadership failure in the education sector has produced a generation where individuals with questionable credentials now lead states and national institutions. He said a society that undermines education for decades should not be surprised at its current collapse.

Sowore concluded by reiterating that Nigeria is already in a “low-intensity war,” and that only a fundamental political and structural overhaul can rescue the country. According to him, incremental reforms and foreign intervention will not solve Nigeria’s problems.

He maintained that until Nigeria undergoes transformative change, citizens will continue to suffer the consequences of a system designed to serve only the powerful while leaving millions vulnerable.