Former Commandant of the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command, Retired Major General Ishola Williams, has described Nigeria’s worsening insecurity as a public safety crisis driven by governance failures, systemic corruption, and intelligence breakdown.
He said contrary to speculations, the worsening insecurity was not about terrorism or external aggression, but fundamentally that of governance failure.
Williams made this assertion during a wide-ranging interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, yesterday, where he made a critique of Nigeria’s security architecture, military spending, policing structure, and political leadership, while calling for urgent institutional reforms.
According to the security consultant, the persistent framing of Nigeria’s security challenge as terrorism or foreign invasion has distracted policymakers from confronting the real internal drivers of violence, which include political manipulation, economic desperation, arms proliferation, and deep institutional rot.
Williams also drew a firm distinction between defence, security, and public safety, arguing that Nigeria currently faces none of the first two. He said: “Let us start from the basics. There is a difference between defence, security, and public safety.
Nigeria today does not have a defence problem, because no external force is attacking us. We also do not have a security problem, because none of our neighbours has the capacity or intention to invade Nigeria.
What we have is a public safety crisis caused by our own citizens, due to governance failure and institutional collapse.” He also said terrorism is a tactical method, not the strategic problem. He added: “Suicide bombing, mass attacks — these are tactics.
What we have in Nigeria today is banditry, kidnapping, illegal mining, cattle rustling, and violent organized crime. These are public safety threats, not wars.” Williams dismissed widespread claims that armed groups are infiltrating Nigeria from neighbouring countries.
He said: “People keep saying fighters are coming from Mali, Niger, or Chad. Do they understand the distance involved? I have travelled across West Africa by road. How many Malians have we caught? Those coming into Nigeria are mostly illegal miners; Senegalese, Lebanese, and others not terrorists.
The violence is being driven mainly by Nigerians, not foreigners.” He traced the roots of the violence in the country to political manipulation and broken promises, particularly in Northern Nigeria, saying that such sowed the seeds of insurgency and criminality.
