No Nigerian Blood Is Worth Power — and those who trade lives for politics must face justice

When politics turns to treason, who speaks for the people? No Nigerian blood is worth power. When political actors sponsor violence to destabilize opponents, it’s no longer strategy, it’s treason. Those found guilty must be stripped of honours, held to account in open court, and punished according to law. Life is above politics.

It is now plain and undeniable that politicized violence is not merely a failure of governance, it is betrayal. When a party or its agents allegedly sponsor attacks against citizens to achieve political ends, they commit an act of treason against the state and humanity itself. No ambition, no campaign, no thirst for power justifies the spilling of Nigerian blood.

If our security and intelligence architecture were functioning without fear or favour, such allegations would be promptly investigated, the guilty arrested, tried in open court, and punished under our laws. In Nigeria the law already recognises treason and related offences as capital crimes, the legal framework exists to punish the gravest betrayals.law on paper is useless if institutions are captured, politicized, or silent. The Department of State Services (DSS) is charged with internal intelligence and protection of national security; when it works properly it prevents the very conspiracies that turn politics into bloodshed. The reverse is the case. The DSS continue remain silent why spilling on Nigerian Blood goes on.

Similarly, anti-corruption and investigative agencies, when independent can trace the finances that fuel violence and hold sponsors accountable. Recent high-profile asset recoveries show what an active anti-graft agency can do when allowed to act.Accountability must be absolute and transparent. Any public official or political actor credibly implicated in sponsoring violence should face:

•immediate independent investigation;

•public charging (if sufficient evidence);

• full, public trial with due process; and

if convicted, the penalties provided by law, including permanent stripping of state honours and official benefits. Due process must be respected even while we demand decisive action. 

We cannot allow politics to sanctify impunity. The only way forward is robust institutions, fearless prosecution, fearless journalism, and citizens who refuse to be silent.