Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Federal Government to end negotiations with terrorists and take decisive action against rising insecurity across the country.

Speaking at the Plateau State Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival in Jos, Obasanjo said the government must stop apologising to bandits and instead use modern technology and international support to tackle the crisis.

His remarks come amid worsening violence in the North, including the abduction of 315 students and 13 teachers in Niger State on November 21, and earlier kidnappings of schoolgirls in Kebbi and farmers in Niger communities. Multiple abductions were also recorded in Kano and Kwara within the week.

Obasanjo criticised the government’s inability to protect citizens, saying Nigerians have the right to seek foreign intervention if their leaders fail to ensure safety.

“We Nigerians are being killed, and our government seems incapable of protecting us,” he said. “If our government cannot do it, we can call on the international community to do for us what it cannot.”

He added that Nigeria now has the technological capacity—such as drones—to locate and eliminate terrorists, questioning why such tools are not being fully deployed.

“Why are we apologising? Why are we negotiating?” he asked.