Tonye Cole urges data-driven reforms to address Nigeria’s escalating security crisis

Former Rivers State APC governorship candidate Tonye Cole has called for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s approach to security, urging the federal government to adopt a data-driven, accountable system that delivers measurable results.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Cole described the worsening insecurity across the country as a direct consequence of poor planning, lack of transparency, and politicised resource allocation.

Cole argued that without consistent data, the government lacks the tools to measure success or failure in its security strategy. “One of the things that we must always do is that we have baselines. What are the baseline numbers, and where are we going from there?” he said. He criticised the fact that international organisations like Amnesty International regularly publish security data while Nigeria fails to track its own numbers. “I suspect one of the biggest problems we have in Nigeria is that accountability backed by scientific evidence does not exist,” he added.

The former candidate stressed that the government must fund and institutionalise reliable data collection if it hopes to make informed decisions. “Who is going to pay for the data? Nigeria has to pay for the data. Where’s the money? Is it going to be a line item in the budget? It must be,” he said, pointing out that relying on anecdotal reports or unverified figures undermines any real progress in tackling crime or terrorism.

Cole noted that trust in data depends on validation by independent sources. Using Amnesty International as an example, he said, “People believe, rightly or wrongly, that Amnesty data has integrity. Now, if NBS says something different, there needs to be proof.” Without this kind of transparency, he warned, public trust erodes and policy becomes guesswork.

Calling for security to become a true national priority, Cole said the federal government must stop treating the issue with political detachment. “Security is one issue that our government has to take front and center. We cannot play with security anymore. Nobody feels safe,” he said. He added that Nigerians must begin to see improvements that reflect real change and not just promises.

He also stressed that regional cooperation, such as through ECOWAS, is only effective when it yields results. “The cooperation around the ECOWAS sub-region is very important. But what matters is: what’s your baseline? What results are they bringing? And how are you measuring it?” he asked, reiterating his belief that outcomes not optics should drive security policy.

On local governance, Cole voiced concern over recent local government elections in Rivers State, which were conducted under conditions he likened to a state of emergency. “Having that election in the time of a state of emergency… it just says everything wrong about democracy,” he said. “If you have suspended all the democratic institutions… you cannot be having elections under that government. Even the perception of it is wrong.”

Cole was particularly critical of how security forces are deployed for political purposes while actual crises go ignored. He cited the example of Zamfara State, where he claimed massive security deployments were made for a small local election, while ongoing threats like banditry receive far less attention. “It was a full detachment just because the APC wanted to win PDP. But when it comes to critical matters, we’re always seeing banditry. Why can’t that detachment go to stop people trying to kidnap citizens?”

He warned that the politicisation of security has distorted national priorities and eroded public confidence. “How can you have a task force that works for security but is sent to win elections instead of protecting lives?” he asked, urging the government to shift from performative responses to outcomes that actually make citizens safer.

Nigerians need proof that their lives matter through action, not rhetoric. “Doing more means you have to compete better. You have to have evidence that the things you are doing are actually working,” he said. “And I think that’s what the issue is. People do not believe that their lives matter.”