Bolaji Akinyemi
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to adopt drastic, far-reaching measures to halt Nigeria’s spiralling insecurity, including a nationwide state of emergency, the suspension of immunity for state governors, and the creation of military tribunals with powers to execute convicted terrorists.
In a statement that has ignited intense national debate, Akinyemi warned that Nigeria has drifted into a dangerous zone where “business-as-usual” responses can no longer confront the scale of threats posed by terrorists, bandits, and armed criminal syndicates. According to him, violent groups have grown more organised and deadly, stretching the country’s security architecture and exposing critical gaps in response.
Akinyemi argued that Nigeria must immediately abandon the retirement provisions of the Armed Forces Act 2004 — which compel officers to retire after 35 years of service or once they turn 60 — describing the rules as relics designed for peaceful societies, not nations fighting for survival. He said the country’s most experienced officers must be retained, not retired, at a time when insecurity has reached unprecedented levels.
To boost manpower, he recommended recalling all military personnel who left service in the last six months, followed by an aggressive nationwide recruitment exercise. He said such emergency expansions were used effectively during World War II and the Nigerian Civil War, when the need for an experienced fighting force outweighed conventional administrative rules.
But Akinyemi’s most controversial recommendation is the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency, which would temporarily remove constitutional immunity from governors and compel them to take full responsibility for security outcomes in their states. States unable to restore order, he argued, could be temporarily placed under military administration until stability is restored.
He also pushed for the establishment of special military tribunals to quickly try terrorists and their sponsors. The tribunals, he insisted, would eliminate prolonged delays that currently weaken counterterrorism efforts. Akinyemi said that once guilt is firmly established, the death penalty should be applied to offenders to send a clear deterrent message to extremist networks operating with impunity.
“It is unacceptable that armed terrorists can freely attend public gatherings and walk openly without consequences,” he said. “Nigeria must act with courage, unity, and urgency.”
If implemented, Akinyemi’s proposals would radically reshape Nigeria’s security landscape, redefine federal-state relations, and test the bounds of constitutional authority. The ideas have already stirred heated discussions on civil liberties, accountability, and the balance of power during national emergencies.
The Presidency has yet to issue a reaction to his recommendations.