Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, says Nigeria’s sovereignty is like an unstable ship that is at the verge of sinking.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa radio, Ribadu warned about civil war, saying that the challenges of insecurity, corruption and injustice bedeviling the country have become very alarming.

His words: “Nigeria has never experiencedthe current high level of bloodshed in some parts of the country that resulted to State of Emergency with other parts facing unrest, the high level of human right abuse and corruption.

“I can safely say that this country is facing many crucial challenges of development.”

In the interview broadcast late Monday, Ribadu, the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 general elections, also berated Nigeria’s leaders for their inability to provide the basic needs of the citizens.

Lamenting the high rate of corruption and misplacement of priorities in the country, he said: “Go to the airport now, between here in Abuja and Lagos, you will discover that over 400 redundant planes are owned by few people. Each plane costs between 10-40 million dollars. One plane can build a university; a plane can build a very big hospital. Nigerian leaders have converted to travelling on private jets while majority of the citizens wallow in poverty.”

Ribadu said government must take stringent measures to save the country from the threat of civil war.

•Photo shows Ribadu.