We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his government for declaring a nationwide emergency on insecurity and for committing additional security personnel and resources to protect schools, communities, and workplaces. This is an important signal that the Nigerian state recognises the scale of the crisis and is prepared to act.

However, Nigeria’s security breakdown is not a sudden disruption. It is the result of deep, long-standing structural challenges that must be honestly addressed if this emergency is to bring sustainable peace.
Escalating Violence
The violence ravaging the North East, North West, and North Central regions is driven by extremist insurgency, terrorist activities, well-organised banditry, and increasingly deadly farmer–herder clashes. Over 2,200 people have already been killed in the first half of 2025 alone, with millions displaced.

Kidnap-for-ransom has evolved into a thriving criminal economy — nearly 5,000 abductions were recorded within 12 months, with billions demanded in ransom. This predatory economy robs households of income and communities of stability, while fueling an unending cycle of criminality.
Structural Drivers – how we understand the situation
The current crisis is rooted in deep socio-economic and governance failures:

● Marginalisation and exclusion: Communities have endured unemployment, weak services, and corruption, eroding trust in state institutions.
● Governance vacuums: In neglected areas, armed groups have imposed brutal forms of taxation and control.
● Climate and land pressures: Scarce water and shrinking farmland have turned farmer–herder disputes into deadly confrontations.
● Youth without options: For far too many young people, violence has become one of the few viable livelihood pathways.
● Polarising narratives: External religious framing has heightened division despite suffering across all communities.

Without addressing these underlying drivers, insecurity will persist even after military gains. Rather than dwell in blame games, we would like to provide the following suggestions –

A Real “No Ransom” Policy
Nigeria’s 2022 law banning ransom payments is a decisive step to deny criminal groups the financial reward they seek. But ransom payments continue — often in desperation.

Operationalising a credible no-ransom strategy now requires:

● Financial-crime intelligence targeting ransom networks
● Asset seizures and sanctions of perpetrators and their sponsors
● Victim protection and robust state-led rescue capacity
● Strong public communication, devoid of propaganda and bigotry, that rebuilds confidence

The above initiatives are essential to break the economic backbone of kidnapping and other forms of violence.
Security with Justice
Security forces must prioritise public protection, particularly in rural communities, workplaces, and schools — not elite convoys. To this end, we applaud the government’s recent initiative to recall police personnel assigned to the elite and redeploy them to communities in need of policing. This directive must be implemented without ambiguity.

All real and perceived injustices must be analysed, well-understood, and addressed. Similarly, we urge the government to make conscious and genuine efforts to provide adequate compensation for victims of violence in tandem with the programme to rehabilitate perpetrators. Justice strives when senses of injustice are adequately assuaged.

Ending impunity with the firm application of the rule of law
Violent actions, whether carried out by non-state actors or by elements within state institutions, must be investigated, prosecuted, and sanctioned in accordance with the extant laws, without sacred cows. These judicial actions are essential to rebuilding legitimacy and strengthening the rule of law, order, and stability.

It is also vital that the Nigerian government demonstrate the needed courage to name and prosecute sponsors of violence and insecurity in any form. Again, there must be no scared cow.
Livelihood Recovery and Inclusion
Nigeria is a respected and active member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). We urge Nigeria to take full advantage of the provisions of ILO Recommendation 205, which affirms that employment and decent work are the foundations of peace. To reduce vulnerability and cut recruitment pipelines into violence, Nigeria must accelerate:

● Youth skills development and job creation
● Rural economic transformation and smallholder support
● Climate-adaptive livelihoods and infrastructure renewal
● Expanded social protection in conflict-affected areas and communities

Communities must not be trapped in fear and poverty. Instead, the government must continue to pursue inclusive, collaborative initiatives to address these surmountable security challenges. We are confident that the ILO and other United Nations agencies stand ready to support the Nigerian government’s initiatives to rein in insecurity and return hope to distraught communities affected by the insecurity situation.
Healing Divides and Restoring Cohesion
Further, we note that insecurity has fractured social bonds in Nigeria, as we have witnessed in other societies affected by it. Peace, therefore, becomes durable only when dignity is restored and divisions healed. Peacebuilding, therefore, must include:

● Facilitated genuine dialogue and reconciliation between rival groups
● Trauma support for children, workers, internally displaced persons, and survivors
● Reintegration initiatives with strong community oversight

A National Effort Supported by Global Solidarity

Nigeria must lead decisively, but it should not stand alone. Seeking help to protect citizens is not cowardice. It is a mark of responsible governance. ITUC-Africa urges regional, continental, and international partners to intensify cooperation on ensuring:

● Illegal arms supply disruption
● Intelligence sharing and military training support
● Humanitarian support
● Inclusive development financing without the encumbrances of debt burdens and dependency-trapping conditionalities
● Guided and decent diplomacy, and not the penchant for external aggression and disrespect that undermine sovereignty and national dignity as we have witnessed recently.
Labour Solidarity for Recovery
The Nigerian labour movement remains a bulwark of national unity, cohesion, and democracy. We salute its steadfastness and commitment to human dignity, peace, and social justice. We note with concern that workers and members of the Nigerian trade unions are among the most targeted, affected, and victims of insecurity — teachers, health professionals, transport operators, farmers, and public administrators remain at daily risk.

Therefore, ITUC-Africa stands firmly with Nigerian trade unions and shall continue to work with them in:

● Defending rights and safety at work and in communities through organising, mobilisation, negotiations, capacity building, and joint actions
● Documenting and reporting abuses and pressing for accountability within national, continental, and international mechanisms
● Designing programmes to support victims and survivors within workplaces
● Mobilising continental and global solidarity and support for national trade union initiatives towards resilience.
● Steady advocacy to ensure that security investments do not displace social spending

Finally, we reiterate our call to the Nigerian government to act with urgency as demonstrated by the declared “state of emergency on national security”, and to do so in a genuine, inclusive, and collaborative manner. ITUC-Africa stands ready to provide support to people-centred initiatives that the Nigerian government will deploy. Peace shall return to Nigeria.

God bless the Republic of Nigeria and its hardworking people.

For and on behalf of the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa)

Akhator Joel Odigie
General Secretary
ITUC-Africa
Lomé, Togo