Niger Delta Youth Council Raises Alarm Over Rising Insecurity, Calls for Vigilance, Urgent Federal Action
The President of the Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC), Comrade (Chief) Bene Mamamu, has issued a strong security alert to residents of the Niger Delta region, urging communities in Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, and Ondo States to heighten vigilance amid what he described as a rapidly deteriorating national security situation.
In a statement personally signed and released on Monday in Warri, Delta State, Mamamu warned that escalation in mass abductions, kidnapping-for-ransom, and violent banditry across several parts of Nigeria poses a serious threat even to regions previously considered relatively safe.
The NDYC leader said the surge in criminal activities including the recent abduction of over 300 students and teachers in Niger State, the kidnapping of school children in Kebbi State, and the abduction of worshippers in Kwara State—shows that the nation’s security infrastructure is under unprecedented pressure. He noted that these incidents, all recorded in November 2025, demonstrate that no part of the country can afford to be complacent.
“The rise in mass abductions and general banditry has triggered widespread calls for citizens, including youths, to prepare for self-defense,” Mamamu stated. “While we do not encourage lawlessness or the creation of unauthorized security outfits, it is clear that communities must support government security agencies through heightened vigilance, intelligence sharing, and organized community watch systems.”
Mamamu expressed particular concern that Nigeria’s multiple, overlapping security crises—terrorism in the Northeast, banditry and kidnapping in the Northwest and North-Central, as well as cult-related and armed violence could spill over into the Niger Delta if urgent preventive steps are not taken.
According to him, the Niger Delta must learn from the experiences of other regions where early warning signs were ignored until insecurity spiraled out of control.
“The Niger Delta cannot assume that we are insulated from the troubles facing other regions,” he cautioned. “We must be proactive. Security threats do not respect geographic boundaries. If we fail to act now, the consequences could be devastating.”
The youth leader called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take urgent, decisive action to prevent a total breakdown of security nationwide. He urged the Federal Government to strengthen joint military operations, reinforce intelligence networks, and provide modern surveillance equipment to tackle criminal networks before they expand their operations.
He also appealed for increased deployment of security personnel to vulnerable coastal and riverine communities in the Niger Delta, stressing that these locations could easily become soft targets if national insecurity continues to escalate.
Mamamu further encouraged traditional institutions, community leaders, youth groups, and vigilante bodies across the region to close ranks and work closely with security agencies to ensure early detection and swift response to any suspicious movement or activity.
“It is very important at this time for youths in the Niger Delta region to prepare—if necessary, to support security agencies—and to ensure proper community vigilance,” he said. “Security is everyone’s responsibility, and we must all rise to protect our communities.”
The NDYC President pledged that the Council would continue to engage government authorities, security institutions, and civil society groups to advance peace, safety, and stability across the region.
He concluded by calling for calm but urged residents to remain alert: "We want peace in the Niger Delta, but peace requires preparedness. We must not wait until danger arrives at our doorstep.”
