By Chukwudi Ebele
Human Rights Lawyer and Social Critic Sir Ifeanyichukwu Ejiofor Esq has in his article titled ‘WHEN POLITICAL AMBITION TRADES NATIONAL SECURITY FOR POWER: THE DANGEROUS ROAD TO STATE FAILURE’ made a passionate appeal to politicians, especially those in the corridors of power to remember that no political throne is worth the destruction of the country upon which it stands.
According to Ejiofor, One of the defining features of a constitutional democracy is the protection of fundamental human rights. Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees, among other rights, freedom of expression under Section 39 and freedom of peaceful assembly and association under Section 40. These are not privileges graciously dispensed by political officeholders; they are constitutionally guaranteed rights which the state is under an obligation to protect.
“Regrettably, as desperation for political power intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections, these constitutional guarantees are increasingly coming under violent assault. Disturbingly, some impoverished and vulnerable youths are being recruited and deployed, for paltry inducements, as instruments of intimidation and violence against perceived political opponents.
Only last week, citizens reportedly exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly in Delta state, came under a violent attack. Initial reports indicated that one person lost his life while over twenty others sustained varying degrees of injuries. However, eyewitness accounts reportedly put the death toll considerably higher, at over four persons. Similar politically motivated violence has been reported in Enugu, Edo, Cross River States, Katsina and Kebbi , with an increasingly disturbing pattern emerging across the country.
What is particularly troubling is not merely the growing frequency of these attacks, but the seemingly predictable institutional response that follows them. Each time these politically charged assaults occur, the familiar refrain from law enforcement agencies is almost ritualistic: “Investigation is ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators of these dastardly acts.”
This is invariably accompanied by carefully worded condemnations and assurances that the perpetrators are being pursued. Yet, the more consequential question remains: where are the arrests, prosecutions and convictions capable of restoring public confidence and deterring future offenders?
I am considerably more concerned about the implications of this apparent culture of impunity for our national security than the political calculations that may have inspired these despicable acts. Political actors will come and go; governments will change, but the Nigerian state must endure. Unfortunately, the damage inflicted on national cohesion, public confidence and the credibility of our security institutions may outlive the political beneficiaries of today’s recklessness.
Every security institution must understand that its constitutional and professional obligations transcend partisan loyalties. National security cannot be subordinated to political convenience, nor can the uniform of public service become a protective shield for politically connected perpetrators. The oath of office is an undertaking to the Nigerian state, not an insurance policy for the political survival of whoever occupies the corridors of power.
On a recent inquiry concerning the young man whose life was cut short in Enugu during a political rally, in an incident involving politically connected actors, I was authoritatively informed that the principal suspect- who shot and killed the deceased , was still moving freely within the community. If this information is accurate, it raises profoundly troubling questions about the seriousness of the investigation and the willingness of the relevant authorities to pursue accountability without fear or favour.
The security agencies cannot reasonably claim to be oblivious of the intelligence surrounding the dangerous political calculations already unfolding ahead of 2027. Indeed, the arrest and prosecution of even one high-profile political figure, irrespective of party affiliation, where credible evidence establishes culpability, would send an unmistakable message that nobody is above the law. Sometimes, one decisive prosecution achieves more deterrence than a thousand press statements.
A country cannot indefinitely survive on official condemnations while its citizens are buried, its streets become theatres of political violence and its perpetrators enjoy the protection of political connections. When the hunter becomes the protector of the animal being hunted, the forest is no longer safe for its inhabitants.
Let us be clear: the gravest danger is not simply that violence is being perpetrated; it is the frightening possibility that those entrusted with preventing it may be compromised by the very political interests responsible for instigating it. If those who swear to protect the Constitution become willing instruments in its subversion, the foundations of the state are placed in grave jeopardy.
History is replete with nations that underestimated the destructive consequences of politically sponsored violence until the consequences became too enormous to contain. No nation is immune to institutional collapse. The rule of law does not collapse in a single dramatic moment; it often dies gradually, through selective enforcement, protected offenders and the normalisation of impunity.
I therefore make bold to say that the familiar refrain, “Investigation is ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators of these dastardly acts,” must never become the official soundtrack to an increasingly dangerous political season. An investigation that never culminates in accountability is little more than an elaborate exercise in public relations.
Those who mistake political power for permanent ownership of the state should remember that no political throne is worth the destruction of the country upon which it stands.
May Nigeria never descend to a point where public frustration, institutional helplessness and political impunity combine to produce the kind of widespread civic unrest witnessed in parts of Europe today. The warning signs are there; statesmanship demands that we confront them before they become irreversible.
National security is not a bargaining chip in the desperate game of political survival. A government may lose an election and return to opposition, but a nation that loses its security, institutional integrity and citizens’ confidence may spend generations recovering,” Ejiofor advised.
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