…Says failure to arrest, prosecute perpetrators threatens national security, warns against selective enforcement of law
An Anambra-born human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor,has raised concerns over the growing incidence of politically motivated violence ahead of the 2027 general elections, accusing security institutions of failing to demonstrate sufficient commitment to bringing perpetrators to justice.
Ejiofor who holds the traditional title of Dunu-Ezeugosinachi warned that the alleged use of vulnerable youths as instruments of political intimidation and violence, coupled with what he described as a culture of impunity, posed a serious threat to national security, national cohesion and the survival of democratic institutions.
The lawyer, who made the observations in his Wednesday political commentary titled, “When Political Ambition Trades National Security for Power: The Dangerous Road to State Failure,” dated November 11, 2026, said the increasing desperation for political power was placing fundamental constitutional rights under violent assault.
He recalled that Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression under Section 39 and freedom of peaceful assembly and association under Section 40.
According to him, these rights are not privileges granted at the discretion of political officeholders but constitutionally guaranteed entitlements which the state has an obligation to protect.
He expressed concern that some impoverished and vulnerable youths were allegedly being recruited and deployed, for paltry inducements, as instruments of intimidation and violence against perceived political opponents.
Citing a recent incident in Delta State, Ejiofor said citizens reportedly exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly came under violent attack, resulting in casualties and injuries.
He noted that initial reports indicated that one person had been killed while more than 20 others sustained varying degrees of injuries, although eyewitness accounts reportedly put the death toll at more than four persons.
He further identified Enugu, Edo, Cross River, Katsina and Kebbi states as other locations where similar politically motivated attacks had reportedly occurred, warning that the emerging pattern required urgent attention from security agencies and other relevant authorities.
The lawyer, however, said his concern extended beyond the frequency of the attacks to what he described as the predictable institutional response that usually followed such incidents.
He observed that whenever politically charged violence occurred, law enforcement agencies routinely issued statements that investigations were ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators, accompanied by condemnations and assurances that those responsible would be brought to justice.
He questioned the practical outcomes of such investigations, asking where the arrests, prosecutions and convictions capable of restoring public confidence and deterring future offenders were.
Ejiofor said he was more concerned about the implications of the apparent culture of impunity for national security than the political calculations that might have inspired the attacks.
He argued that political actors would eventually leave office and governments would change, but the Nigerian state must endure, warning that the damage inflicted on national cohesion, public confidence and the credibility of security institutions could outlive the political beneficiaries of the violence.
He therefore urged security institutions to recognise that their constitutional and professional responsibilities transcended partisan considerations, insisting that national security must never be subordinated to political convenience.
According to him, the uniform of public service must not become a protective shield for politically connected individuals accused of criminal activities.
“The oath of office is an undertaking to the Nigerian state, not an insurance policy for the political survival of whoever occupies the corridors of power,” he declared.
Providing an account of a recent inquiry into the killing of a young man during a political rally in Enugu State, Ejiofor alleged that the principal suspect, whom he claimed shot and killed the deceased, was still moving freely within the community.
He said he was authoritatively informed that the suspect had yet to be apprehended, despite the gravity of the incident and the alleged circumstances surrounding the killing.
The lawyer, however, stressed that if the information was accurate, it raised serious questions about the seriousness of the investigation and the willingness of the relevant authorities to pursue accountability without fear or favour.
He maintained that security agencies could not reasonably claim to be unaware of the intelligence surrounding what he described as dangerous political calculations unfolding ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ejiofor argued that the arrest and prosecution of even one high-profile political figure, irrespective of party affiliation, where credible evidence established culpability, would send a strong message that nobody was above the law.
He added that decisive prosecution could achieve more in deterring political violence than numerous public statements and official condemnations.
“A country cannot indefinitely survive on official condemnations while its citizens are buried, its streets become theatres of political violence and its perpetrators enjoy the protection of political connections,” he said.
Using an analogy to underscore his concern about possible institutional compromise, Ejiofor stated that when those entrusted with protecting citizens became protectors of alleged perpetrators, the security of the the entire society was placed at risk.
He warned that the gravest danger was not merely the occurrence of politically motivated violence but the possibility that institutions responsible for preventing and prosecuting such crimes could become compromised by the political interests allegedly responsible for instigating them.
He said that if public officers entrusted with protecting the Constitution became instruments in its subversion, the foundations of the Nigerian state would be exposed to grave danger.
The legal practitioner further observed that history had shown how nations that underestimated the destructive consequences of politically sponsored violence eventually faced consequences that became increasingly difficult to contain.
He cautioned that institutional collapse did not necessarily occur through a single dramatic event but could develop gradually through selective enforcement of the law, protection of alleged offenders and the normalisation of impunity.
Ejiofor consequently called for an end to what he described as the repetitive official assurances that investigations were ongoing without corresponding evidence of arrests and prosecutions.
He insisted that investigations which failed to culminate in accountability risked becoming elaborate public relations exercises rather than genuine efforts to enforce the law.
He also cautioned political officeholders and other actors against treating political power as permanent ownership of the Nigerian state, stressing that no political ambition was worth the destruction of the country.
Expressing concern about the possibility of widespread public frustration arising from institutional helplessness and political impunity, Ejiofor warned against allowing Nigeria to descend into a situation characterised by the kind of widespread civic unrest witnessed in parts of Europe.
He said the warning signs should not be ignored, urging those in positions of authority to demonstrate statesmanship and address the underlying problems before they became irreversible.
The lawyer maintained that national security must not become a bargaining chip in the struggle for political survival, stressing that while governments could lose elections and return to opposition, a country that lost its security, institutional integrity and citizens’ confidence could spend generations trying to recover.
