– Say instability in the Sahel fuelling Nigeria’s security challenges
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Eminent Nigerians, including Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Fatima Balla, ex-Nigerian ambassador to Botswana, have called on the federal government to urgently appoint a special envoy for the Sahel to address rising insecurity in Nigeria.
The call comes as the country continues to witness an increase in cases of banditry, kidnapping and abductions across several regions.
In a statement and signed by 10 eminent Nigerians, the group said insecurity in Nigeria cannot be fully understood in isolation from the broader instability in the Sahel region.
They urged the federal government to recognise that instability in the Sahel is directly fueling Nigeria’s security challenges.
“Government should as a matter of urgency recognise that insecurity in the Sahel fuels the Nigerian crisis and that rapprochement between AES (Alliance of Sahel States) and ECOWAS is an important element in Nigeria’s national interest,” the statement reads.
They called for the immediate appointment of a high-level special envoy to lead diplomatic engagement and rebuild trust between Nigeria, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
According to the group, such engagement is critical to strengthening regional cooperation on intelligence sharing, border management, and coordinated responses to armed groups operating across West Africa.
They warned that without stronger regional coordination, Nigeria’s security challenges could worsen amid porous borders, arms trafficking, and the spillover of extremist violence from neighbouring countries.
“Government should immediately appoint a high-level special envoy for the Sahel to begin the urgent task of rebuilding trust between Nigeria, the AES and ECOWAS while revamping regional mechanisms for peace and security,” the group said.
They also emphasised the need for renewed investment in youth employment, education, social protection, and community-based peacebuilding as part of long-term efforts to address the root causes of insecurity.
They expressed concern over the weakening of constitutional checks and balances among the three arms of government, noting that the separation of powers has been undermined.
According to them, the erosion of institutional independence has fueled public distrust and worsened insecurity, including violent extremism, organised crime, and communal conflict.
“Nigeria faces a grave threat to its foundational constitutional principle of the separation of powers. Checks and balances between the branches of government have been imperiled,” they said.
“The legislative branch has been placed under near total control of the executive branch. The judiciary appears to have lost both its independence and its integrity.”
They called on civil society organisations, the private sector, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to play more active roles in promoting accountability, peacebuilding, and democratic stability.
Other eminent Nigerians in the group include Husseini Abdu, Usman Bugaje, Ibrahim Gambari, Yahaya Hashim, Jibrin Ibrahim, Mohammed Kuna, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, and Kabiru Yusuf.
