As Nigeria commemorates the third anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, renowned security expert, Victoria Ekhomu, has urged the government to implement bold, long-term reforms to tackle the nation’s worsening insecurity, which continues to undermine stability, economic progress, and democratic gains.

Ekhomu, Managing Director of Transworld Security, President of the School of Management & Security, and President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, AISSON, warned that democracy loses its meaning when citizens live in constant fear.

With decades of experience in private security and international institutions, she described how Nigeria’s security challenges have evolved from sporadic crimes into a sophisticated web of terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, cultism, cybercrime, pipeline vandalism, and transnational organised crime.

“Security is the foundation of every meaningful development. No nation can attract serious investment, grow its economy, or deliver quality healthcare and education while insecurity remains a daily threat,” she said.

Ekhomu noted that the current administration inherited a severely strained security system marked by overstretched agencies, porous borders, poor intelligence coordination, high unemployment, and eroded public trust.

While she acknowledged some improvements including the procurement of new military hardware and surveillance tools, better inter-agency collaboration, intensified operations against insurgents, expanded intelligence efforts, and stronger regional and international partnerships, she stressed that these gains are still insufficient.

“Despite these efforts, incidents of highway and community kidnappings, mass displacement by bandits, persistent terrorist activities, and farmers’ inability to access farmlands remain widespread. Many businesses now allocate huge budgets to private security due to the inadequacy of public protection,” she lamented.

To address the crisis effectively, she called for a fundamental shift from purely reactive military operations to proactive, intelligence-driven strategies.

“This will require heavy investment in intelligence such as building robust human intelligence networks, technology-powered surveillance, predictive policing, data analytics, and AI-driven threat monitoring; improved inter-agency collaboration; police reforms including recruitment, training, improved welfare, decentralised policing; as well as stronger public-private security partnerships.

“Also key is community policing; strengthened border security including biometric systems, smart border technology, and joint operations with neighboring countries; youth empowerment; widespread use of CCTV; facial recognition; forensic tools; and a national criminal database. Required also is an overhaul of the justice system including the creation of specialised courts for terrorism and kidnapping cases, faster prosecutions, and better witness protection,” she added.

Expressing confidence that Nigeria has the human and institutional capacity to become one of Africa’s safest countries, Ekhomu warned this will only happen with strong political will, accountability, strategic planning, and true government-citizen collaboration.