Following the reported killing of 1,300 Nigerians in 41 days and hundreds of others still in captivity, including nursing mothers and children, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has berated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for attending fishing festival amid terror attacks.
The party, which also said that the President has lost control over the situation in the country, added that Tinubu got his priorities wrong, indicating a frightening loss of touch with reality when he chose to attend a festival while funeral processions grow longer across the country as terrorists kill, burn, and abduct citizens under his watch.
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ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, expressed grave concern over a video allegedly linked to the Kaiama abductions in Kwara State, in which insurgents were seen openly challenging official figures on the number of victims in what the ADC described as a brazen attempt to seize control of the insecurity narrative.
The ADC warned that the growing boldness of armed groups, particularly within the Kwara corridor, indicates that the government may be losing control of a strategic part of the country that could provide terrorists a foothold into other parts of the country.
ADC expressed concern over the continued deterioration of the security situation in parts of the country, particularly in Kwara State.
The party said: “We are especially concerned that at a time of rising insecurity, the President and Commander-in-Chief was in Argungu attending a fishing festival, even as credible reports indicate that nearly 1,300 Nigerians have been killed in the last 41 days. Once again, innocent Nigerians and their families are left to bear the tragic brunt of terror while the President fiddles away a festival.
“We are also greatly disturbed by the emergence of a video allegedly released by terrorists in connection with the recent abductions in Kaiama Local Government Area, challenging official figures on the number of kidnapped victims. This development comes amid fresh reports of terrorist activity in Patigi Local Government Area of the same state as recently as last night.
“It will be recalled that the southern part of Kwara State has been under sustained terrorist pressure since last year. Now, with attacks spreading northward at scale, terrorists appear to be tightening their grip on the state and exploiting it as a potential safe haven. The implications for the wider country are both clear and alarming. It is therefore shocking that the President could choose to attend a fishing festival while terrorists threaten to expand their operations.”
Lamenting the situation in Kwara state, ADC explained the implication of allowing sustained activities of terrorists in that corridor.
The party said: “For clarity, we wish to underline the strategic significance of what is unfolding in Kwara State. The Kaiama axis provides a direct link into Oyo State. Any sustained insurgent activity within this corridor could therefore create wider vulnerabilities across parts of the North Central and South West. The situation in Kwara State must not be treated as an isolated incident but as a potential early warning of geographic expansion by terror actors.
“When non-state actors become sufficiently emboldened to publicly contradict official figures, it signals a troubling erosion of deterrence and raises serious questions about the management of both the security and information environments. But this could only mean one thing: the terrorists now view kidnapping as a commercial enterprise, and they are determined not to be short-changed in the ransom negotiations they expect will follow.”
The party noted that “on previous occasions, we have reiterated our longstanding position that the payment of ransom to terrorists, whether directly or indirectly, risks further entrenching the criminal economy that sustains mass abductions. While the safe return of victims remains paramount, disguising ransom payments as rescue operations only creates perverse incentives for future attacks.”
The ADC, has, however charged the federal government to take certain actions so that the country can be at peace.
The party said: “Given the gravity of the situation, the ADC expects the Federal Government to immediately undertake the following actions:
“First, mount a robust and well-coordinated rescue operation to bring every abducted Nigerian safe home. Second, issue a full and transparent public briefing that resolves the emerging discrepancies around the number of victims.
“Third, order an urgent security audit of the Kaiama and Kainji Lake forest corridor. Fourth, deploy strengthened interstate security coordination across the Kwara, Niger, and Oyo axis to shut down further terrorist movement. Fifth, maintain regular and credible public communication to restore confidence and deny terrorists the advantage of propaganda.
“Nigerians are tired of the APC and Bola Tinubu-led government’s assurances on security while citizens continue to be slaughtered at will. What the country needs is a government and a president who demonstrably care and will do everything necessary to protect the people. That urgency is tragically lacking under the present administration.
“The ADC will continue to hold the Federal Government accountable while supporting every credible effort to defeat terrorism and reclaim every part of our national territory. Nigeria must never appear weak in the face of terror.”