The President of the Nigerian Society for Criminology (NSC), Prof. Oludayo Tade, has called on President Bola Tinubu to intensify efforts to combat insecurity and strengthen the protection of lives and property across Nigeria, warning that persistent violence continues to threaten national stability.
Tade made the appeal in a statement issued Sunday following the society’s 2026 International Conference, held under the theme, “Securing Nigeria and Protecting Nigerians.”
The call comes amid a series of kidnapping incidents and killings across the country, including cases in which victims were reportedly murdered despite ransom payments by their families.
Among the recent incidents was the abduction of a pregnant woman and several residents of Igboho in Oyo State’s Oorelope Local Government Area. According to reports, the woman and a relative who delivered ransom money to her captors were later killed.
The appeal also follows the mass abduction of teachers and students during coordinated attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State in May.
Tade said Nigeria’s security challenges have both domestic and transnational dimensions, requiring stronger political commitment and coordinated action from the government.
“As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Tinubu must protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria and ensure that citizens are free from the fear of traveling on roads or being abducted from schools and communities,” Tade said.
He stressed that protecting lives and property remains the government’s primary constitutional responsibility and argued that citizens must be able to feel secure in their daily lives.
“The first constitutional duty is to protect lives and property, and not doing that efficiently indicates failure,” he said. “Nigerians need to experience and feel secure.”
Tade also called for stronger efforts to prevent terrorists and criminal groups from infiltrating the country and urged authorities to identify and prosecute local collaborators aiding criminal networks.
According to him, the government must demonstrate greater political will in confronting insecurity and restoring public confidence in state institutions.
Call for Improved Welfare for Security Personnel
The criminologist further urged the federal government to improve welfare packages for military personnel and security officers injured or killed in the line of duty.
He said officers engaged in counterinsurgency and anti-crime operations, as well as their families, deserve enhanced support and compensation in recognition of their sacrifices.
Conference Highlights Security, Governance Challenges
Speaking on discussions at the society’s fourth International Conference held at Cosmopolitan University in Abuja, Tade said participants emphasized the need for comprehensive measures to address the root causes of insecurity.
He noted that improving economic conditions would help reduce crime rates while ongoing operations against kidnappers, bandits and terrorist groups should be sustained.
One of the conference’s keynote speakers, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim, a senior fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Development, argued that Nigeria’s security crisis reflects deeper structural challenges facing the country.
According to Ibrahim, many Nigerians increasingly feel vulnerable and disconnected from the state, creating concerns about national cohesion and stability.
He identified three major crises confronting Nigeria: economic challenges fueled by decades of corruption, citizenship-related conflicts driven by ethnic and regional tensions, and widespread dissatisfaction with the country’s democratic system.
Ibrahim cited issues including the Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-herder violence, separatist agitations, militancy in the Niger Delta and disputes between indigenous and settler communities as contributing factors to the country’s insecurity.
He also criticized what he described as a political culture characterized by corruption, self-interest and manipulation, arguing that these factors have weakened trust between citizens and government institutions.
“The only way forward is for the Nigerian state to do its work, secure the country and protect citizens,” he said.
Criminology Society Re-Elects Leadership
At the conference, members of the Nigerian Society for Criminology re-elected Tade and his executive team for a second term, citing their leadership and contributions to the organization.
Chairman of the society’s Board of Trustees, Prof. Etannibi Alemika, commended the outgoing executive and called for increased research on Nigeria’s social and security challenges.
Alemika said policymakers require stronger evidence-based research to develop effective responses to crime, insecurity and other social problems affecting the country.
The Nigerian Society for Criminology is Nigeria’s leading professional and academic body for criminologists, security experts and criminal justice scholars. The organization promotes research-driven approaches to crime prevention and advocates evidence-based policies in law enforcement, public safety and criminal justice reform.
