Olusegun Ariyo

Former Abia State Governor and Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, has attributed the recent surge in insecurity across the country to politically motivated actors both within and outside Nigeria.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, and that which was monitored by Urban Express News, Kalu said the pattern of attacks mirrors what occurred during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, alleging that certain individuals exploit election seasons to mount pressure on the government.

According to him, some members of the international community, working with local collaborators, are “orchestrating” terrorist and bandit activities to destabilise the current administration.

He argued that recent statements by international figures, including US President Donald Trump, had further intensified discussions about insecurity in Nigeria.

Kalu noted that President Bola Tinubu has shown commitment to addressing the situation, saying the President cancelled all engagements on Sunday to focus on national security following recent abductions.

He said: “What we are seeing is always written, something that goes with the election. And when you have an election, people will try to pressure the government in power for all kinds of things to start happening. And you could remember when President Jonathan was here, a similar thing happened. They put a lot of pressure on the president.

“The terrorists and the bandits are orchestrated by some members of the international community and local people who really want to destabilise the government.

“These are not unusual things, but I’m sure you can see that President Tinubu is equal to the task. For the first time, you see the president cancelling all his engagements.

“Today is Sunday, he faces security challenges. He faced everything about security. Those girls will be recovered. Those people in schools will recover. The government is making every effort to make sure these people are recovered.

“And then it’s because of a few announcements internationally and locally talking about Nigeria’s insecurity, I’m sure it’s not the best of times for us. It’s not a very good time for Nigerian people and Nigerian citizens; our service chiefs, our security operatives, have gone fully on duty to see what they can do. It’s a challenge. The essence of government is to protect lives and property and it will be done.

“This is politically motivated. You can see that this is happening time and again for the past few months. We have been quiet until President Trump talks about people being killed in Nigeria. And you can see people talk about the 2027 election, this and that.

“These people are actually mercenaries brought by politicians. These individuals are those purchased by others. These people are people-centred to destabilise a president that is ready to fight for our economy, that is ready to revamp the economy.”