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Former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed deep worry over what he described as Nigeria’s worsening security climate and the government’s diminishing capacity to contain it.
In a strongly worded statement on X on Monday, Kwankwaso said recent national developments had left him “filled with deep personal concern,” warning that insecurity, ethnic profiling, and unchecked circulation of arms were converging into an increasingly dangerous situation for the country.
Kwankwaso, who previously served as Minister of Defence and chaired the Committee on the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, said the responsibility for stemming the escalating crisis ultimately rests with Abuja, working collaboratively with state and local authorities. However, he argued that the current administration appears “overwhelmed.”
According to him, the clearest indication of this is the growing reliance on state-backed vigilante outfits with little or no professional training. While acknowledging that the intention may have been to supplement local security efforts, Kwankwaso said the policy has instead triggered an uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons, worsening insecurity nationwide.
“Worst of all,” he added, “individuals have begun taking advantage of this by setting up their militia, like we are seeing in the actions of some political elements. Such action further threatens the fragile peace in our country.”
Kwankwaso also condemned the rising wave of ethnic and regional profiling, saying too many Nigerians are increasingly being treated as suspects in their own country. He referenced recent reports of people “particularly from a part of the country” being arbitrarily harassed, arrested, or even tortured in regions where they live or conduct business.
He warned that this erosion of trust, combined with the “harassment, intimidation, and hate speech” that now proliferate on social media, poses a significant threat to national unity.
“These trends,” he said, “must be reversed before they spiral further out of control.”
On the circulation of illegal weapons, Kwankwaso said it was “deeply alarming and unacceptable” that arms now move so freely across Nigeria despite years of national and regional efforts to curtail them.
Despite his criticisms, the former governor closed on a conciliatory note, congratulating General Christopher Gwabin Musa on his appointment as Minister of Defence. Kwankwaso expressed confidence that with strong political backing, the new minister has the experience and capacity to restore stability.
