The Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, has applauded the Federal Government and the nation’s security agencies for what he described as a decisive and coordinated assault against Boko Haram and other terrorist organisations that have long plagued Nigeria.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Enugu, Chief Ngige said the government’s renewed approach, spearheaded by the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has led to the elimination of high-profile insurgent leaders and the disruption of major terrorist networks.
“The Federal Government is currently attacking the menace of Boko Haram headlong. I must commend the security agencies for their efforts in tackling the insurgency in the North. I particularly commend the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, for the coordinated response that has resulted in the taking out of the ringleaders of these terrorists – Kachalla Boka, Dogo Isah, and Kachalla Shekau – who once controlled the Abuja-Kaduna expressway until they met their nemesis,” Ngige stated.
He described as “heartwarming” the recent capture of the leadership of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Nigeria under the name Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, as well as the dismantling of the Mahmudawa terrorist group.
Among those apprehended, he noted, were Amir Mahmud Mohammed Usman (aka Abu Baraa) and his deputy, Marmuda.
Ngige stressed that such breakthroughs show that the country is beginning to reclaim control from extremist groups whose violent campaigns have killed thousands, displaced millions, and crippled social and economic life in the North-East and beyond.
The Senior Advocate reminded the conference that Boko Haram’s decade-long reign of terror has not only caused humanitarian crises but also violated citizens’ constitutional freedoms, particularly the right to movement guaranteed under Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
“Boko Haram has created a climate of fear that robs citizens of their fundamental rights to move freely within their own country. Many communities remain cut off, markets are deserted, schools are empty, and humanitarian workers risk their lives daily,” he observed.
He also lamented the increasing spread of insecurity beyond the North, citing the July 2025 abduction of six Nigerian Law School students in Benue State, who were held for 11 days and released only after a ransom of N10 million each was paid.
“Their ordeal was harrowing. Some have suggested that students should only be posted to campuses near their homes, but that is not a solution. Kidnappers are not interested in ethnicity or origin – they are motivated by greed and desperation. The real solution lies in government at all levels creating employment opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths,” he warned.
Ngige also linked recent attacks in the South-East, including the Okigwe-Owerri highway massacre in which over 30 travellers were killed and more than 20 vehicles set ablaze, to the deepening insecurity across the country.
The incident, reportedly linked to IPOB’s Eastern Security Network, has left travellers and businesses in fear, with some NBA delegates opting for longer, more expensive flight routes to attend the Enugu conference.
Turning to the political crisis in Rivers State, Ngige urged the Supreme Court to give urgent attention to the suit filed by 11 state governments challenging President Bola Tinubu’s March 2025 declaration of emergency rule in the state.
The proclamation suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the State House of Assembly, replacing them with a sole administrator.
He cautioned that delaying the case could undermine democratic governance and create a constitutional vacuum.
> “This case touches on the rule of law, democracy, and the rights of the people of Rivers State to be governed by a democratically elected government. It is of utmost importance that the Supreme Court should immediately schedule a hearing, even during this court vacation. The matter must be determined on the merits, alongside the Federal Government’s objections, to guide future actions by organs of government,” Ngige urged.
Balancing Security and Rights
Concluding his address, the Council of Legal Education Chairman noted that while Nigeria must confront insecurity with firmness, security efforts should not come at the expense of constitutional freedoms.
“National security exists to protect the right to life, liberty, and movement. However, when unchecked, it can itself become a source of rights violations. The challenge is to ensure that security measures are necessary, proportionate, and subject to oversight,” Ngige stressed, citing the Supreme Court’s position in Dokubo-Asari v. FRN that liberty can be curtailed where the security and stability of the state are threatened.
He recommended that the NBA, through its Human Rights Committee, should take up the responsibility of observing trials of terrorists at the Federal High Court as part of efforts to safeguard justice, due process, and human rights in the fight against insecurity.
