Former Governor of Anambra State and the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said he would declare war on terrorists and reject negotiation as a response to insecurity if elected president.
Drawing on his record as Anambra State governor, he argued that decisive action can restore safety across Nigeria.
Obi made the comments in an interview with Arise TV on Monday, during a discussion focused on the country’s worsening security situation, including the recent killing of Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah and several soldiers in a Boko Haram/ISWAP attack in Benisheikh, Borno State.
“No nation will lose about 10 of its senior officers without a response. I will declare war on the terrorists. There is nothing like negotiation,” he said.
Obi said the approach that worked in Anambra during his tenure as governor remained the template he would apply nationally.
He recalled going directly to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek authority to act.
“I had to come here and tell President Obasanjo, this is what I want to do and you must allow me to do it,” he said, adding that the results were verifiable.
He named former army commander, Jarrell Enenche, and the late security officials John Haruna and Commissioner Bello as witnesses to the outcomes.
He cited a former Inspector-General of Police as confirmation that the strategy worked.