Obasanjo warned Tinubu that if the government fails to protect citizens, Nigerians have the right to seek help from outside the country.
The former leader spoke on Friday, November 28, at the Plateau Unity Christmas and Praise Festival, where he expressed deep worry over the rising insecurity.
Moreover, he stressed that Nigerians are being killed across regions and religions, yet the government appears unable to stop the violence.
He described the ongoing bloodshed as “nonsensical,” adding that citizens should not be left at the mercy of criminals.
Therefore, he called on authorities at all levels to act quickly before the situation worsens further.
Obasanjo declared, “We are part of the world community. If our government cannot do it, we have the right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us. If we are being k!lled, it is the responsibility of the government to do something about it.”
In addition, he urged Nigerians to demand accountability from leaders in every sector.
He said, “We should ask the government to do what it has to do at all levels. We should ask our leaders to do what they have to do at all levels, in all walks of life.”
The former president also highlighted advances in modern security technology.
According to him, it is nearly impossible for criminals to hide in today’s world.
Fomer President Olusegun Obasanjo- President Tinubu
“In these days of technology, there should be nobody hiding anywhere after he has committed a crime that cannot be seen with the present-day satellite,” he explained.
Obasanjo further recalled the challenges security agencies faced during his administration.
He said they could identify criminals but lacked modern tools to apprehend them.
However, he noted that Nigeria now has improved drone technology that can locate and neutralize threats more efficiently.
He added, “Before I left government, I knew we had the capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria.
The capacity we didn’t have then was that, after we had identified and located such a criminal, we didn’t have the capacity to pick him up without moving on land or by air.
Now we have the capacity with drones. You can take them out. Why are we not doing that? Why are we negotiating? And after government has paid these criminals, government denies!”
Furthermore, he insisted that Nigerians should collectively pressure the government to end the killings.
“We should appeal to our government to do what needs to be done to stop Nigerians being killed,” he said.
In a stronger tone, Obasanjo stressed the value of every citizen. “We are tired of being killed, and we want the killing of Nigerians, whether they are Christians or Muslims or pagans, they are Nigerians, and the life of every Nigerian matters. It should stop,” he said firmly.
