SERAP Urges UN intervention as Nigeria’s insecurity escalates

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, to take urgent action over Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, saying the situation has reached a level that threatens regional and international stability.

In a statement released on Sunday and contained in an open letter dated May 30, 2026, the organisation said Nigeria’s security crisis has gone beyond a domestic challenge and now requires immediate global attention and coordinated international response.

SERAP said repeated incidents of mass abductions, killings, and forced displacement across several states show a pattern of escalating violence that is overwhelming local capacity to respond.

The group listed affected areas to include Borno, Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Oyo States, where armed groups and criminal networks have carried out attacks on civilians, rural communities, travellers, and school settings.

It cited recent cases such as the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State, attacks on students and commuters in Benue, and bombings in Maiduguri, Borno State, which reportedly left several people dead and many others injured.

According to SERAP, the scale and spread of violence across multiple regions indicates a growing humanitarian emergency marked by displacement, trauma, and worsening insecurity for rural populations.

The organisation stressed that the UN Secretary-General has the authority to bring such situations to the attention of the Security Council when they pose risks to global peace and security, arguing that Nigeria’s current situation meets that threshold.

It warned that continued instability could have wider regional consequences, including cross-border movement of armed groups and increased insecurity across West Africa.

SERAP therefore called for international monitoring of Nigeria’s security situation, stronger civilian protection measures, independent investigations into attacks, and accountability for those responsible.

It added that urgent preventive diplomacy is needed to prevent further deterioration of the crisis and to protect vulnerable communities across affected states.