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A senior policy expert at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, has argued that Nigeria’s security crisis has deteriorated further under President Bola Tinubu, surpassing the challenges faced during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking during a televised political affairs programme, Ibrahim said Tinubu now finds himself in a position similar to one he once criticised, yet with poorer outcomes on the issue of mass abductions and general insecurity.
According to him, the expectation that leadership change would automatically bring security reforms has repeatedly failed Nigerians over the years.
He recalled that similar optimism greeted the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari, a former military general, whose administration many believed would decisively tackle violent crime.
“Each transition came with hope, but that hope has consistently collapsed,” Ibrahim said.
“The reality is that insecurity has expanded under successive governments, and the Nigerian state appears unable or unwilling to meet its most basic constitutional duty.”
He stressed that the past year has been particularly difficult, not because hardship is new, but because the state’s weakness has become more visible.
Ibrahim noted that armed violence has spread across communities, highways, and even targeted security personnel.
Since the insurgency era that escalated around 2009, he said, the proliferation of illegal arms has continued unchecked, empowering civilians who now operate with little fear of consequences.
“When people who have no legal access to weapons acquire them and use them freely, violence naturally multiplies,” he explained. “That pattern has been allowed to grow year after year.”
The CDD fellow further lamented that moments of national optimism have repeatedly been dashed.
He said Buhari’s tenure, despite high public expectations, failed to reverse the trend, and the current administration has yet to demonstrate a clear break from that pattern.
“This is a deeply troubling narrative,” Ibrahim added. “Nigeria is still searching for a government with the political will, technical capacity, and determination to confront insecurity head-on.”
His comments reflect growing public concern over worsening violence and renewed scrutiny of the federal government’s security strategy amid persistent attacks across the country.