The African Democratic Congress has expressed concern over the federal government’s approach to combating insurgency, warning that deals with kidnappers cannot replace effective security measures.
While the party welcomed the safe return of recently abducted citizens, it insisted that such kidnappings should never have occurred if the government had fulfilled its constitutional duties.
Addressing reporters at the party secretariat, National Publicity Secretary Balaji Abdullahi said, “What the country is witnessing today is the consequence of an administration distracted by politics and behaving less like a democratic government and more like an occupying force.”
He criticised the federal government for only reacting after international attention, noting, “It is telling that it took a chastening comment from President Trump to provoke even the slightest response from our government.”
Abdullahi said the party remained concerned about the unclear and inconsistent explanations surrounding the release of the abducted victims. “Yet, even as we welcome the safe return of the victims, we remain deeply concerned about the opaque and troubling manner in which their release was secured,” he said.
He added that the conflicting statements from various government officials suggested that the Federal Government was not being fully transparent with Nigerians. “The conflicting accounts coming from different government officials make it clear that the Federal Government is not being honest with Nigerians about the circumstances surrounding the release of the abducted victims,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC spokesman further warned that the government appeared to be negotiating with insurgents. “We strongly believe that this administration is negotiating deals with insurgents. It is especially alarming to hear the Inspector General of Police state that the perpetrators of the Kwara church attack were not arrested because they ‘came out voluntarily for the peace talk,’” he said.
He also cited remarks attributed to the Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, which suggested that the release occurred simply because officials “asked them nicely,” describing this approach as deeply troubling.
