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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decisive action to remove the country’s Service Chiefs has drawn immediate and robust commendation from a powerful coalition of political parties and civil society groups.

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), alongside over 75 organisations under the umbrella of the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs), hailed the sack as a necessary, if belated, response to the rampant insecurity that has plagued the nation.

The groups, however, did not stop at applause, issuing a strong call for an immediate, comprehensive probe into the tenure of the sacked military heads, alleging years of failed leadership and demanding a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s internal security architecture.

Insecurity ‘Flourished’ Under Their Watch

In a joint statement released on Monday, the CNPP and CNCSOs described the persistent insecurity across Nigeria’s land and territorial waters as “undeniable evidence of incompetence, poor coordination, and policy failure.” The statement, co-signed by Comrade James Ezema, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, and Alhaji Ali Abacha, National Secretary of the CNCSOs, painted a stark picture of the security decay.

“From the forests of Zamfara to the highways of Abuja–Kaduna, the creeks of the Niger Delta to the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, insecurity flourished under their watch,” the coalition declared. “Kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and piracy became daily realities for Nigerians. Entire communities were displaced, farmlands abandoned, and ancestral lands seized by non-state actors. Their removal was not just necessary — it was inevitable.”

While acknowledging the delay, the coalition nonetheless applauded President Tinubu for finally acting in the national interest. They urged the newly appointed Service Chiefs to “hit the ground running” with fresh energy and strategies, emphasising that Nigerians “will not celebrate mere appointments; they expect swift, visible improvements in safety across the country.”

Demand for Accountability: Probe Allegations of Corruption and Negligence

The most forceful demand from the groups was for full accountability for the years of failure. The CNPP and CNCSOs called for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the tenure of the former security leadership, alleging that their years in office were marked by persistent insecurity coupled with opaque defence expenditures and poor accountability.

“The Nigerian people deserve to know how trillions of naira budgeted for defence and internal security were spent while insecurity worsened,” the statement demanded.

The coalition urged President Tinubu to “immediately constitute an independent panel to investigate the activities, procurements, and command decisions of the former Service Chiefs to determine whether negligence, corruption, or complicity contributed to the sustained insecurity that ravaged the country under their leadership.”

“There can be no meaningful reform without accountability,” the statement added. “Those who failed the nation must explain why Nigerians remained unsafe in their homes, highways, and waterways despite huge investments in the defence sector.”

Overhaul of Security System and Return to Community Policing
Beyond the issue of personnel and accountability, the CNPP and CNCSOs called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s internal security system, advocating for a fundamental change in the approach to domestic law and order.

The groups specifically stressed the need to restore the central role of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in internal security management, a function they argued has been unconstitutionally ceded to the military.

“The police must not continue to exist merely as a protest control unit while the military performs internal security functions that should constitutionally belong to the police,” the coalition emphasised. “A weak police force translates into weak internal security. The time has come for President Tinubu to empower, reform, and reposition the police as the lead agency in maintaining law and order.”

The statement further advocated for the institutionalisation of community policing through necessary constitutional and Police Act amendments. This move, they argued, would ensure that security becomes people-driven and rooted in grassroots intelligence gathering.

“Community policing is not just desirable; it is essential. Security must begin from the people, not from the barracks,” the groups concluded, stressing the need to bring policing closer to citizens to build trust and resilience against crime.

The CNPP and CNCSOs affirmed their commitment to supporting genuine government efforts to restore peace, concluding that the next steps must be to “probe their stewardship, rebuild the police, and empower the new security leadership to restore peace, unity, and confidence in the Nigerian state.”

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