Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Douglas Pepe, has linked Nigeria’s lingering insecurity crisis to political motives, alleging that certain segments of the political elite are weaponising violence to destabilise the country.
Pepe, who spoke in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Makurdi, dismissed claims that Nigeria requires foreign intervention to overcome its security challenges.
According to him, the country already possesses the capacity and resources needed to resolve insecurity, but a lack of national unity continues to impede progress.
“We know our problems and we know how to solve them.
The issue is that we are not yet united on the way forward. Once Nigerians make up their minds, insecurity will vanish,” he stated.
The senior lawyer also addressed rising debates around whether some of the attacks in parts of the country amount to genocide.
He cautioned against hasty conclusions but noted that patterns of repeated assaults on particular communities could justify such concerns.
“When you see churches being destroyed disproportionately, or victims concentrated in Christian areas compared to Muslim areas, some may be justified in calling it genocide.
But we must examine the facts carefully. As a lawyer, I prefer evidence and statistics before drawing conclusions,” he said.
Pepe expressed deep worry over corruption and political interference within the nation’s security architecture.
He cited instances where apprehended bandits were mysteriously released, a situation he said had weakened national security efforts and emboldened criminal elements.
He insisted that the Federal Government has all it needs to defeat insecurity, but insincerity, corruption, and poor leadership placements continue to stall meaningful progress.
“If the right people were placed in the right positions, this battle would move forward,” he added.
Pepe further advocated for the introduction of targeted amnesty programmes similar to those implemented in the Niger Delta, arguing that violent approaches have failed to deliver results for over two decades.
According to him, many perpetrators of violence are unemployed youths driven to crime by socio-economic hardship.
He maintained that addressing insecurity holistically requires tackling these root causes rather than relying solely on military force.
He stressed that a well-implemented and sincere amnesty initiative could provide a sustainable pathway to peace, stating that such frameworks had worked in the past and could be effective again if managed properly.
