Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has warned that Nigeria is steadily losing control of significant portions of its territory to insurgents and other non-state actors, describing the situation as a grave failure of leadership.

Sowore spoke on Wednesday in Abuja while standing in solidarity with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), ahead of a planned nationwide protest against worsening insecurity across the country.

According to him, the scale of violence and lawlessness in Nigeria has reached an unprecedented level, with citizens no longer safe in their homes, places of worship or communities.

“The country is bleeding and this must be urgently addressed. The leadership has failed in its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property,” Sowore said.

He lamented the rising spate of kidnappings across religious and regional lines, noting that both Christians and Muslims are increasingly targeted. He also decried the continued captivity of more than 250 schoolchildren, warning that official silence has helped normalise tragedy.

Sowore further expressed concern over the safety of Nigerian security personnel, alleging that even members of the Nigerian Air Force have been captured across borders, a development he described as deeply embarrassing and alarming.

Rejecting claims that insecurity has always been part of Nigeria’s history, Sowore argued that the current situation is far worse than in previous decades, including the period of the civil war.

“Today, the Southeast is unsafe, the Southwest is unsafe, the Northwest is under siege, and the Northeast is almost completely overrun,” he said.

He claimed that nearly 30 per cent of Nigeria’s territory has effectively fallen under the control of armed groups variously described as bandits, kidnappers or terrorists.

Sowore concluded that the apparent loss of territorial control reflects a breakdown of governance, insisting that citizens have a duty to speak out and demand accountability.

“That is why we are here, to march peacefully with the NLC. Enough is enough,” he said.