- Says national emergency on security done too late
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned that the Federal government’s decision to shut down schools in response to recent attacks is a dangerous signal that Nigeria is yielding to terrorist pressure.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, warned that school closures represent a capitulation to bandits and insurgents.
“When you close schools because bandits could go and kidnap children, what you are saying is that you are no longer capable of protecting your schools. By shutting down schools, you are enforcing Boko Haram’s ideology that Western education is forbidden,” the ADC spokesman said.
Abdullahi questioned why a country of Nigeria’s size and resources cannot secure its 47 unity schools.
He argued: “Are you telling me that the Nigerian government does not have the capacity to protect 47 schools? If government will eventually put security in place before reopening them, why didn’t they do that in the first place? Government panicked and went for the easiest way out.”
The ADC spokesman also accused the government of failing to be transparent about the circumstances surrounding recent kidnap releases.
“The government is not being honest with Nigerians,” he said. “What is clear to us is that government is making deals with kidnappers and insurgents. They can deny it, but everything points in that direction.”
He dismissed official narratives suggesting kidnappers surrendered voluntarily or released victims because security forces “asked nicely”.
“When you tell Nigerians that all you did was ask the bandits nicely and they released the captives, it insults the intelligence of right-thinking people,” he said. “For you to talk to them means you knew where they were. So why didn’t you arrest them?”
Abdullahi warned that negotiating with criminals only strengthens their operations.
“Government is unwittingly reinforcing the banditry economy,” he said. “The day after the release in Kaduna, they abducted 11 more people. That is the danger of making deals with terrorists.”
He acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on security but said it should have come long ago.
“This is what government should have done two years ago,” he noted. “Why did it take President Trump making a comment for government to start acting?”
Abdullahi also questioned the seriousness of withdrawing police from VIP protection.
“Even today I still saw VIPs with police escorts. So is it in effect? Or is this just drama?”
Reacting to regional coups, Abdullahi warned that Nigeria must rebuild public confidence in democratic governance.
He said, “If democracy doesn’t work for the people, young Nigerians who never lived under military rule may think coups offer salvation. We must protect this democracy with everything we have.”
He cautioned the government against undermining opposition parties:
“If government destroys all opposition so it becomes the only party left, that is what enemies of democracy do.”