Fresh concerns over Nigeria’s growing insecurity took centre stage in the Senate on Wednesday as two senior lawmakers—Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) and Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central)—warned of possible insider collusion within the security forces and a politically motivated plot to destabilize the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Senator Karimi, who chairs the Senate Committee on Services, painted a grim picture from his constituency, revealing that more than 30 people had been kidnapped within a single week.
Speaking during a debate on renewed violence in Taraba State, Karimi described the attacks as “deliberate and coordinated,” likening the current wave of insecurity to the pre-2015 atmosphere when some political actors allegedly threatened to plunge the country into chaos if they lost at the polls.
“These attacks are not random,” Karimi said. “We are seeing echoes of 2015. It appears the same forces are regrouping, and this time, they may have infiltrated the system.”
Citing recent claims by the Borno State Governor that some military operatives were aiding insurgents, Karimi urged the Senate to investigate what he termed “insider collusion” within the security architecture.
“There are disgruntled elements, possibly within our own ranks, actively sabotaging the government to discredit the Tinubu administration and pave the way for a power grab,” he alleged.
He also expressed deep concern over the continued captivity of Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the traditional ruler of Okoloke in Yagba-West, who was abducted on May 15.
Echoing Karimi’s fears, Senator Goje warned that the deadly farmer-herder clashes in Taraba’s Karim Lamido Local Government Area were part of a broader national crisis. He pointed to simultaneous violence spreading across Bauchi, Gombe, and Plateau states.
“From Karim Lamido to Alkaleri and Lau, the violence is coordinated and escalating,” Goje said. “We must ask ourselves: why now? Why this level of bloodshed so close to 2027?”
Both senators called on federal authorities to go beyond surface-level interventions and confront the political dimensions of the crisis. Goje described the situation as one driven not just by criminality but by the “dangerous games of power and influence” being played behind the scenes.
The Senate earlier adopted a motion by Senator Isa Lau (Taraba North), which revealed that the May 23 violence in Karim Lamido had left dozens dead, 47 houses razed, and over 200 people displaced.
In response, the Senate urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to send urgent relief to affected communities. Security agencies were also directed to fortify the porous borders between Taraba, Bauchi, and Plateau states, which lawmakers say are being used as infiltration routes by armed groups.
Karimi, however, warned that reactionary deployments were not enough
“We need intelligence-led operations, we need to unmask collaborators, and we need the political will to hold even the untouchables accountable,” he stated.
The Senate concluded the session with a minute of silence in honour of all victims across the conflict zones.