Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Femi Falana, has warned the Federal Government against allowing foreign interests to turn Nigeria’s security challenges into a religious conflict. He said Nigeria has the capacity to defeat terrorism and banditry on its own if the armed forces are properly funded, equipped, and motivated.
Falana also cautioned the government not to allow United States President, Donald Trump, to use Nigeria’s security crisis to promote what he described as a religious war. According to him, insecurity in Nigeria has nothing to do with religion and should not be presented as such.
The senior lawyer spoke during a chat with journalists on Saturday in his hometown of Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State. He expressed concern over the worsening insecurity in many parts of the country and blamed corruption, poor funding, and lack of political will for the challenges facing the nation’s security forces.
Falana said members of the Nigerian armed forces are capable of winning the war against terrorism and banditry without foreign military intervention if they are given the right tools and support.
“If the members of the armed forces are well equipped and motivated, they can deal with terrorism and banditry,” he said. “To secure Nigeria is not the business of any foreign nation. It is the duty of the Nigerian government under the constitution.”
He lamented that videos released by terrorist groups often show them carrying more advanced weapons than Nigerian soldiers. According to him, this is a clear sign that something is wrong with how funds meant for security are being managed.
Falana blamed corruption for the poor state of equipment available to the military. He said huge sums of money budgeted for the purchase of arms and ammunition were stolen by some powerful individuals, including military officers and their civilian collaborators.
“It is a shame that ragtag armies of criminal elements are winning the war on terror because vital security institutions have been neglected over the years,” he said.
The senior advocate questioned how the government expects to win the fight against terrorism when money meant for weapons is diverted. He said corruption has weakened the country’s security efforts and placed soldiers at great risk.
“How do you fight terrorism in an environment where the money budgeted for arms and ammunition is stolen by well-known criminal elements in society?” Falana asked.
Drawing from his experience as a lawyer, Falana said he has defended soldiers and officers charged with offences under the Armed Forces Act. He noted that many of them are willing to fight but lack basic equipment needed to carry out their duties.
“I know that they are prepared to prosecute the counter-insurgency operation, but they lack vital equipment,” he said.
Falana cited several cases involving alleged theft of security funds. He said a former service chief was charged with stealing ₦22.8 billion but was freed by a Federal High Court on technical grounds. According to him, the court ruled that the officer should have been tried by a court martial, even though the charges were related to money laundering.
He also mentioned a former governor accused of stealing ₦6.9 billion from the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki. Falana said the former governor was recently freed without being allowed to open a defence.
According to him, other military officers and civilians accused of stealing about ₦200 billion meant for military equipment were allowed to go free and enjoy the stolen funds.
“Meanwhile, our soldiers are ill-equipped because of the criminal diversion of huge funds,” he said.
Falana called on the Federal Government to urgently put in place a clear system to recover all funds stolen from defence budgets. He said the recovered money should be used strictly for the purpose it was meant for, which is equipping the armed forces.
“The government must recover the money meant for the procurement of arms and ammunition and use it for that purpose as a matter of urgency,” he said.
On foreign involvement in Nigeria’s security matters, Falana reacted to reports of a United States airstrike carried out in Sokoto State on Christmas Day. The Federal Government had earlier said it provided intelligence support for the operation.
Falana warned that such actions must be carefully handled to avoid creating religious or ethnic divisions in the country. He referred to comments reportedly made by Donald Trump, who described the insecurity in Nigeria as an attack on Christians.
“Let the Nigerian government be warned not to allow Mr Donald Trump to promote religious war in Nigeria,” Falana said. “The criminals killing Nigerians do not care about religion.”
He explained that bandits and kidnappers target people regardless of their faith or ethnic background. According to him, ransom is demanded from victims without any concern for religion.
“The war against terror in Nigeria must be carried out without any attempt to divide our people along religious and ethnic lines,” he added.
Falana also stressed that insecurity cannot be tackled through military action alone. He said social problems, especially unemployment, must be addressed to reduce crime.
“You cannot end insecurity without addressing social insecurity,” he said. “If young people are unemployed and unemployment keeps increasing, some of them will be driven into criminal activities.”
He urged the government to pay serious attention to job creation, warning that idle youth are easily recruited into criminal groups. He quoted the popular saying that “the devil finds work for idle hands.”
Nigeria has faced rising insecurity in recent years, with increased cases of banditry, killings, and kidnappings for ransom across many states. The situation worsened towards the end of last year, especially in the North-West and parts of the North-Central regions.
The reported US airstrike and the Federal Government’s admission of providing intelligence have generated mixed reactions across the country. While some Nigerians believe foreign support could help tackle insecurity, others share Falana’s view that Nigeria should handle its security challenges internally.
Falana insisted that Nigeria has the manpower and resources to defeat terrorism if corruption is tackled and security agencies are properly supported.
“There is no indication that the government is incompetent and cannot secure Nigeria,” he said. “Since Nigerians know where the problems lie, we have a duty to compel the government to carry out its responsibility under the law.”