A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Solomon Bob, has said terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes continue to thrive in Nigeria because successive administrations have lacked the courage to confront criminal groups decisively.
Bob made the remarks during a plenary session of the National Assembly, where he criticised the long-standing practice of negotiating with terrorists and kidnappers, describing it as a policy that emboldens criminals and weakens the authority of the state.
According to the lawmaker, the repeated payment of ransoms and engagement with armed groups have created a culture of impunity, as perpetrators are often neither arrested nor prosecuted after carrying out attacks, mass kidnappings or school abductions.
He argued that Nigeria’s security challenge is not the absence of laws or institutions, but the lack of political will, courage and accountability among those tasked with enforcing them. Bob also cautioned against downplaying acts of terrorism by describing them merely as banditry, noting that such labels undermine the seriousness of the threat and the response required.
The Rivers lawmaker referenced recurring incidents of abductions across various parts of the country, lamenting that while victims are sometimes released, there is rarely any justice for the crimes committed.
He urged the Federal Government and security agencies to move away from negotiation-driven responses and adopt a firm strategy focused on arresting, prosecuting and punishing terrorists, kidnappers and their sponsors.
Bob stressed that only decisive action and strong leadership would restore public confidence and curb the spread of violent crime across Nigeria.