The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has warned that Nigeria may witness nationwide civil protests if the Federal Government fails to urgently address the worsening insecurity, rising cost of living, and what it described as a collapse of good governance across the country.
The civil rights advocacy group commended residents of Ekpoma, the headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, for staging a peaceful protest against the spate of kidnappings and violent crimes in the community, describing the demonstration as a legitimate demand for accountability and protection of lives and property.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA said the Ekpoma protest reflects growing public frustration nationwide and could serve as a precursor to larger, coordinated protests if government inaction persists.
According to the group, Ekpoma has recently witnessed repeated kidnappings, with residents abducted from their homes, sparking fear, anger, and disruption of daily life. Commercial activities were paralysed during the protest as students of Ambrose Alli University joined residents in the demonstration. Protesters also pulled down campaign billboards mounted ahead of the 2027 general elections, accusing political leaders of prioritising electoral ambitions over citizens’ safety.
HURIWA condemned what it described as “unprecedented attacks” by terrorists and armed non-state actors on schoolchildren, farming communities, markets, and religious institutions, particularly in the northern parts of the country.
The group accused political leaders at both federal and state levels of being more focused on the next election cycle than on addressing Nigeria’s deepening security and economic crises.
“It is our projection, based on global trends of civil resistance, that the combination of unchecked insecurity, unbearable cost of living, mass youth unemployment, rising electricity tariffs, high petrol and cooking gas prices, poor power supply, decaying infrastructure, failing public schools, and unpopular taxation policies may push Nigerians to the wall,” HURIWA said.
The organisation warned that protests larger than the 2020 nationwide demonstrations against police brutality could erupt if governance continues on its present trajectory, insisting that forceful suppression of peaceful protests would be ineffective.
HURIWA criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as repeated foreign travels amid escalating security threats at home, alleging a lack of decisive leadership at a time when kidnappers and terrorists are “operating freely and violently.”
The group also faulted the Federal Government’s response to recent terrorist attacks, including the killing of over 40 persons and the abduction of several others during an invasion of a Catholic boarding school in Niger State.
HURIWA described government directives to security agencies as “rhetorical” and ineffective, arguing that terrorists continue to expand their attacks on soft targets.
Reacting to the Ekpoma protest, the Principal Security Officer to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, Austin Eigbiremolen, assured residents that additional security deployments would be made to the area, pledging that kidnappers would be flushed out.
Similarly, the Edo State Police Command dismissed reports of worsening insecurity in Ekpoma. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, was already on ground in the town.
She revealed that nine persons abducted on Friday were rescued unhurt following the deployment of the Eagle Combat Drone Unit to surrounding forests, in collaboration with local hunters.
According to her, real-time aerial intelligence led security operatives to the kidnappers’ camp, forcing them to flee and abandon two locally fabricated AK-49 rifles.
“The victims, including five children, were rescued unhurt. This operation highlights the growing role of technology in modern policing and sets a new benchmark for security operations in Edo State,” Ikoedem said.
Despite the reported successes, HURIWA maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges remain largely unresolved and warned that public patience is wearing thin.
The group called on President Tinubu, state governors, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to suspend political calculations and focus squarely on governance, economic recovery, and the constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property.
“The insecurity confronting Nigerians has escalated beyond imagination. What makes it more unbearable is the absence of good governance and the deepening economic hardship, especially among youths,” HURIWA said.
The organisation urged the Federal Government to demonstrate a “change of heart” by prioritising national stability, warning that continued neglect could provoke widespread civil resistance.
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