Fighting terrorism must not criminalise communities — Ex-IGP Abubakar

ABUJA — A former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has warned that the fight against terrorism must not be used to justify treating entire communities as suspects, stressing the need to balance security operations with accountability, justice and respect for human rights.

Abubakar gave the warning on Saturday in Abuja at the launch of his book, Beyond the Bullet: Policing Terrorism in the Democratic System, which examines the challenges of combating terrorism while upholding democratic principles.

The former police chief, who served as IGP from 2012 to 2014 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, said terrorism tested not only security agencies but also the resilience of democratic institutions, laws and values.

“For over three decades in uniform, I saw firsthand that terrorism tests democracies rather than it tests police and other security agencies,” he said.

“It challenges our laws, it challenges our institutions, and it damages our moral confidence.”

He warned that pressure on governments and security agencies to respond to terrorist threats could lead to the abandonment of democratic principles in the pursuit of security.

“So, this book is not just about security; it is about the kind of society we want to be, even when we face fear, anger, and real threats,” he said.

Abubakar said the book raised a fundamental question about how governments could protect citizens without sacrificing the principles designed to safeguard them from abuses of power.

According to him, the publication rests on four pillars: security management, understanding threats without losing humanity, democracy and intelligence, and justice.

On security management, he said effective counterterrorism operations required planning, collaboration, coordination, risk assessment and continuous learning, alongside accountability.

He maintained that security agencies must adhere to due process even when confronted with urgent threats.

“Even when threats are real and urgent, democracies must answer violence with process. Investigation must be credible,” he said.

“Evidence must be tested. Victims must be heard. It weakens extremist narratives that claim the system is unjust.”

The former IGP reiterated that counterterrorism efforts should not result in the indiscriminate suspicion of entire communities, warning that discrimination could deepen divisions and erode public confidence in security institutions.

“The book insists on a vital point that I learned in service. Fighting terrorism should never mean treating the whole community as suspects,” he said.

“When fear becomes policy, discrimination becomes security. And when discrimination becomes policy, terrorism wins through violence and through the fracture of social trust.”

He also argued that democratic institutions, including the courts, legislature, media and civil society, played essential roles in ensuring that security operations did not become instruments of domination.

“The court, the legislature, the oversight, the media, and the civil society are not obstacles to security. They are the ground rails that prevent security from becoming domination,” he said.

“Because in democracy, legitimacy in policy is not guaranteed by uniform. It is earned through fairness and justice.”

Abubakar added that counterterrorism policies must be guided by legality, proportionality, accountability and non-discrimination, noting that public trust in security agencies depended on fairness and justice.

On intelligence gathering, he said security agencies must operate within clear legal frameworks and remain subject to effective oversight to prevent abuses.

He stressed that credible investigations, properly tested evidence and justice for victims remained essential, even when security threats were urgent.

The former police chief urged policymakers, law enforcement officers, scholars, students, human rights advocates, journalists and community leaders to engage with the issues raised in the book.

Dignitaries at the event included the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu; former IGP Kayode Egbetokun; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; and Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Others were Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory; Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal; former Senate President Bukola Saraki; and Rotimi Amaechi, identified in the report as a vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

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