A senior member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has condemned the recent closure of schools in parts of northern Nigeria, calling it a “cowardly” response to rising insecurity.
Speaking on the ARISE News programme Prime Time on Monday, Galadima said the federal government had failed to prioritise citizens’ safety amid a spate of mass abductions in Niger State and other northern communities.
“For me, the government has abdicated its primary responsibility of protecting lives and properties of citizens and has given 99 percent of its time to politicking,” he said.
Galadima urged authorities to strengthen protection for schools rather than shutting them down. “In the first place, it is shameful to close down the schools—shameful on government and on authorities at every level. You can’t close down schools. What you should do is protect them,” he added.
He also criticised what he described as the government’s overreliance on force rather than intelligence and technology. Citing an example from China, where CCTV systems tracked and recovered a stolen bag across two airports within hours, Galadima said Nigeria was not using technology effectively.
Security operatives, he claimed, had prior intelligence on bandits’ movements before the Niger State attack but failed to act. He further criticised soldiers deployed to the affected schools for allegedly abandoning their posts.
“The president should forget about physical security. We have passed that stage. We have to use technology to detect things even before they happen, and set up special squads to deal with issues as they spring up in the next five minutes,” he said.
Galadima warned that Nigeria’s current security strategy was outdated and needed an immediate overhaul.