…warns Nigeria risks falling into ISIS hands, promises National Guard to confront insurgency
Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Gbenga Hashim, has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a National security risk, warning that Nigeria could face the danger of falling into the hands of ISIS-linked terrorists if the President returns to office in 2027.
Hashim made the remarks during an interview on Mic On with Seun Okinbaloye, where he raised concerns over the scale and territorial spread of terrorism, particularly across Northern Nigeria.
According to Hashim, more than 30,000 lives have been lost to terrorism under the Tinubu administration, while terrorists and bandits have established significant influence over rural communities across 17 of the 19 Northern states.
He further alleged that terrorists now exercise forms of parallel authority in parts of the region, including collecting taxes from residents, describing the development as a serious threat to Nigeria’s territorial integrity and National sovereignty.
Hashim warned that the situation should no longer be treated simply as a conventional security challenge.
“Nigeria is at risk of falling into the hands of ISIS if Tinubu returns to office,” he warned.
The Accord candidate said his administration would respond by fundamentally restructuring Nigeria’s internal security architecture, including the establishment of a National Guard to confront insurgency and other major internal security threats.
Hashim has previously advocated a National Guard as part of a broader restructuring of Nigeria’s security system. In a 2019 policy proposal, he called for a force positioned between the conventional military and the police to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to respond to internal security threats.
His latest intervention places National security at the centre of his 2027 campaign, with the Accord candidate arguing that the government must restore effective State control over communities where armed groups have established influence.
The warning comes amid continuing counter-insurgency operations by Nigeria’s security forces. The Federal Government has maintained that its security agencies are intensifying operations against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers across the country.
Hashim, however, argues that the scale and geographical spread of the crisis require a fundamentally different approach, insisting that Nigeria cannot afford to allow armed groups to evolve from criminal organisations into alternative centres of authority.
He said the proposed National Guard would form part of a broader strategy to reclaim vulnerable territories, protect rural communities and restore citizens’ confidence in the Nigerian state.
For Hashim, the central issue is no longer simply how many terrorists security forces can eliminate, but whether the Nigerian State retains the capacity to exercise effective authority over every part of the Federation.
He therefore warned that the 2027 election should be viewed as a critical decision on Nigeria’s future security architecture and the capacity of the Nigerian State to protect its citizens and territory.
