Aremu, who is the Acting Vice Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, gave the warning while delivering a public lecture organised by the Social Sciences Students’ Association (SOSSA) of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State.
The professor examined Nigeria’s security performance using major global security indexes and historical trends of violence across the country.
He said the absence of accountability and coordinated responsibility among security actors had worsened the country’s security crisis, stressing that no single institution could effectively address the challenge in isolation.
The lecturer cited Nigeria’s poor standings on global security assessments, including its ranking of 142 out of 143 on the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, 148 out of 163 on the Global Peace Index, and 5th on the Global Terrorism Index, describing the figures as evidence of a deepening national security emergency.
He also noted that insecurity has imposed severe human and economic costs on the country, estimating losses at about ₦2.2 trillion in 2024, alongside widespread displacement, trauma, and loss of lives.
Tracing the evolution of insecurity in Nigeria, Aremu referenced the Civil War, Maitatsine riots, Niger Delta militancy, and the rise of Boko Haram, which he said emerged after early warning signs were ignored, leading to a full-scale insurgency following the killing of its leadership in 2009.
He explained that the fragmentation of extremist groups, coupled with the spread of banditry, illegal mining, and kidnapping networks, had further complicated Nigeria’s security landscape.
Aremu expressed concern over the continued use of vast ungoverned spaces such as Sambisa, Alagarno, Kamuku, Kuyambana, Kuduru, and Old Oyo National Park by criminal groups, warning that weak state presence in forested and remote areas had become a major security vulnerability.
He also referenced data attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics, as reported in December 2024, indicating that about 2.2 million Nigerians were kidnapped within a year, with ransom payments estimated at ₦2.2 trillion.
According to him, repeated attacks on schools, including Chibok, Dapchi, Kagara, Greenfield, and recent incidents in parts of Oyo State, reflect systemic failures in intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination.
The scholar stressed that Nigeria’s security response continues to suffer from institutional rivalry and a lack of unified strategy, warning that such blame games distract from urgent operational needs.
To address the challenges, he recommended strengthened intelligence sharing, improved community-based security systems, state policing, coordinated surveillance across neighbouring states, and the deployment of forest guards to reclaim ungoverned spaces.
In their remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of AAUA of of Olugbenga Ige, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Adebisi Daramola, described the lecture as timely, noting that it contributes meaningfully to national discourse on security reform.
Also speaking, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Adesuyi Adebukola, called for greater collaboration among stakeholders, stressing that insecurity remains a major barrier to sustainable development in Nigeria.
