Posted by Chinenye on Tue 14th Apr, 2026 - tori.ng
In a powerful interview following the tragic killing of Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah, Peter Obi has taken a hardline stance on national security, vowing to "declare war" on terrorists and completely reject negotiations if elected president.
Peter Obi, Anambra's former governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, vowed to wage war on terrorists and rule out any negotiations to tackle insecurity if he wins the presidency.
Drawing on his record as Anambra State governor, he argued that decisive action can restore safety across Nigeria.
Obi made the remarks during a Monday interview on Arise TV, discussingn 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.
He stated that no country would tolerate losing ten senior officers without taking action, asserting that he would launch a full-scale war against terrorists with no room for negotiation.
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 referenced a former Inspector-General of Police as evidence that the approach had proven effective. “The IG, Abubakar, came and said for five years, we have not had issue of major robbery or kidnapping in Anambra State,” he added.
Obi contended, however, that military force alone was insufficient and that the roots of today’s insecurity lay in decades of policy failure.
“What you are seeing today is the cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years, erosion of governance, erosion of values, abandoning the youth, education, social trust, everything,” he said.
He outlined a two-track response: immediate decisive force combined with long-term institutional rebuilding.
He said, "You develop as you advance. You bring governance, justice, people are punished if they do the wrong thing.” When the interviewer noted that he would need to become president to execute such plans, Obi did not dispute the point, pressing instead on the allies he would need and his commitment to front-line leadership.
He named northern political figures, including former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, among those he would work with, saying he intended to “be in the north.”
He concluded with a firm commitment to his leadership approach, promising to lead from the front in a way that would be both visible and felt by the people.