Government is Treating Terrorists Like Celebrities While Nigerians Stay Defenseless, Says Dalung

Nigeria’s former sports minister Solomon Dalung accuses government of pampering violent criminals while citizens lack protection.

He urges constitutional changes for state policing and legal self-defense to tackle insecurity nationwide.

Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has criticized the federal government for allegedly treating terrorists and bandits like “celebrities” during peace meetings, while leaving ordinary Nigerians without protection.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Dalung said the country’s centralized security system had failed, exposing citizens to violent attacks by criminals armed with sophisticated weapons. He said the ongoing debate on the creation of state police had gone beyond the merits or drawbacks of decentralized policing.

According to Dalung, Nigeria needs a constitutional amendment to allow the establishment of state, local and community police, as well as to legally permit citizens to bear arms for self-defense. He noted that armed criminals openly attend government-backed peace meetings with weapons visible to security agencies, while ordinary citizens face arrest for even basic self-protection tools.

Dalung said the current situation shows a double standard that protects violent groups but criminalizes law-abiding people. He also accused opponents of state policing and citizens’ right to bear arms of shielding those who fund terrorism and benefit from the broken security structure.

He urged Nigeria to adopt a layered policing model, similar to that of the United States, to improve security and rebuild public trust.