Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-deen, has outlined a comprehensive, immediate-action plan to combat Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, declaring that the crisis is inseparable from the nation’s economic challenges.
In a detailed post on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, Hayatu-deen argued that insecurity and poverty form a vicious cycle that must be broken by restoring the authority of the Nigerian state. “When farmers cannot reach their fields, food prices rise. When traders cannot move goods, the cost of living rises. When young men cannot find work, criminal networks find recruits,” he stated.
The aspirant, who said he has spent years studying the problem, vowed to hit the ground running from Day One if elected president, with a series of bold measures aimed at reclassifying and aggressively prosecuting banditry and kidnapping as acts of terrorism.
Key proposals include:
Proscribing terrorist groups: Hayatu-deen said he would immediately use powers under Section 54 of the Terrorism Prevention Act to formally designate groups such as Yan Bindiga, ISWAP-affiliated kidnapping syndicates, and other identifiable criminal networks as terrorist organisations. He stressed that the state must stop treating organised mass violence as ordinary crime.
Terrorism prosecutions: Bandits, kidnappers, and their collaborators would be prosecuted under terrorism laws in designated courts with accelerated procedures. He promised an end to “light sentences, quiet releases, and cases disappearing into endless judicial backlog,” noting that terrorism charges carry life imprisonment.
Dismantling financial networks: The EFCC and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would be directed to identify, freeze, and seize assets of financiers, ransom collectors, arms suppliers, and money launderers. A joint financial intelligence and telecom surveillance task force will track ransom payments and criminal communications using modern technology.
No more ransom payments or amnesties: Hayatu-deen declared that not one naira of federal funds would be paid as ransom to proscribed groups. Any security cooperation with state governments would be conditional on adherence to this no-ransom policy.
Reviving regional cooperation: He pledged to immediately rebuild and strengthen the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) with Chad, Niger, Cameroon, and Benin to counter cross-border terrorist operations.
Intelligence reform: All security agencies — military, police, DSS, immigration, customs, and financial intelligence units — would be compelled to end operating in silos through improved coordination and real-time intelligence sharing.
Strengthening policing: Greater investment in police training, modern technology, rapid response systems, and better federal-state coordination. He noted that relying permanently on the military for community policing is unsustainable.
Economic interventions: Targeted recovery programmes in high-risk areas, with a special focus on youth vulnerable to recruitment by criminal and extremist groups.
“Enforcement alone will not hold. Lasting security requires both the rod and the opportunity,” he said.
Hayatu-deen emphasised that these are not long-term promises but immediate actions he would implement upon taking office.
“Nigerians have lived with fear for too long. Farmers deserve to farm. Traders deserve to trade. Children deserve to travel safely. Citizens deserve a government that can defend them,” he wrote.
“It is time to restore order, restore confidence, and restore the authority of the Nigerian state.”
The post has sparked discussions online as Hayatu-deen positions himself as a candidate offering a decisive, no-nonsense approach to Nigeria’s security and economic challenges.
 Presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-deen, has outlined a comprehensive, immediate-action plan to combat Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, declaring that the crisis is inseparable from the nation’s economic challenges.){kind=link}