The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has commended President Bola Tinubu for sacking the former service chiefs, describing the decision as long overdue but necessary.
In a statement on Monday signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, James Ezema, the CNPP said persistent insecurity across Nigeria’s land and waterways during the tenure of the sacked military chiefs was proof of incompetence, poor coordination, and policy failure.
Part of the statement read: “From the forests of Zamfara to the highways of Abuja–Kaduna, the creeks of the Niger Delta to the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, insecurity flourished under their watch.
“Kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and piracy became daily realities for Nigerians. Entire communities were displaced, farmlands abandoned, and ancestral lands seized by non-state actors. Their removal was not just necessary — it was inevitable.”
The CNPP said while the decision came later than expected, Tinubu’s action had rekindled hope that the government was now ready to match political will with decisive leadership in tackling insecurity.
“The president’s action rekindles hope that the government is now ready to match political will with decisive leadership in the war against insecurity.
“Nigerians, however, will not celebrate mere appointments; they expect swift, visible improvements in safety across the country,” the CNPP stated.
The groups also demanded an immediate and comprehensive probe into the tenure of the sacked service chiefs, alleging that their years in office were marked by worsening insecurity and questionable defence expenditures.
“The Nigerian people deserve to know how trillions of naira budgeted for defence and internal security were spent while insecurity worsened.
“We call on President Tinubu to immediately constitute an independent panel to investigate the activities, procurements, and command decisions of the former service chiefs to determine whether negligence, corruption, or complicity contributed to the sustained insecurity that ravaged the country under their leadership,” the statement said.
While urging the newly appointed service chiefs to learn from their predecessors’ mistakes, the CNPP called for a complete overhaul of the country’s internal security structure, especially by restoring the central role of the Nigeria Police Force in domestic security.
The CNPP also advocated the institutionalisation of community policing through constitutional amendments and reforms to the Police Act to make security more people-driven and rooted in grassroots intelligence gathering.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
