Nigeria's security crisis fuels calls for emergency powers and election safeguards

Human‑rights lawyer Femi Falana warned that worsening insecurity, kidnappings and restrictions on free speech threaten the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 elections, saying fear and repression could undermine voter participation and confidence.

Former vice‑president Atiku Abubakar and the Northern Elders Forum urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a national security emergency, arguing that empowered commanders are needed to combat terrorist attacks on schools and bandit violence that endanger education and the country’s stability. The appeals came as civil‑society groups organised a nationwide June 12 Democracy Day protest against insecurity, hunger and economic hardship.