The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has blamed President Bola Tinubu for Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, saying nearly 15,000 people have been killed since he assumed office in 2023.
In a statement on Monday signed by the party’s spokesman, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the grim statistics expose the government’s failure to protect citizens, despite its constitutional obligation to do so.
The statement was in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” which the ADC described as a global rebuke of the Tinubu administration’s poor handling of national security.
“It is sad to note that it is in this most sacred mandate of government that this administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has failed most,” the ADC said.
The party said the killings have occurred across all regions and faiths, warning that violence in the country has reached an unprecedented level.
“Entire communities have been sacked, worshippers have been slaughtered in religious spaces, and bandits now control large territories — waging war at will and levying taxes on citizens with impunity,” it said.
The ADC added that Boko Haram, previously declared “technically degraded,” is regaining strength, while new extremist groups have begun claiming responsibility for attacks on Nigerian soil.
The party accused the president of failing to acknowledge the scale of insecurity or take responsibility for the crisis.
“Instead, Nigerians have been met with excuses, cruel silence, and political posturing that mock the tragedy of victims and their families,” it said.
It also criticized the federal government for neglecting diplomacy and weakening Nigeria’s global standing, noting that the country has failed to appoint ambassadors to key nations more than two years into Tinubu’s term.
“Why has our foreign policy become so deeply personalized and focused on the image of the president rather than the interests of Nigerians?” the statement read.
The ADC said Nigeria’s decline as a regional power was evident in the “fracturing of ECOWAS” and accused the government of being “obsessed with politics, propaganda, and self-celebration” while ignoring the plight of victims.
The opposition party called for a comprehensive overhaul of the national security structure, the appointment of qualified ambassadors, and a reset of foreign policy rooted in national interest.
It also urged economic reforms to stabilize prices and ease the suffering of Nigerians.
While commending global concern over Nigeria’s security situation, the ADC cautioned against foreign military intervention, urging the U.S. and other countries to support democratic solutions instead.
