ADC knocks Tinubu’s Govt for linking Kwara, Kebbi attacks to Trump’s statement

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the federal government for claiming that recent attacks in Kebbi and Kwara states were influenced by comments made by United States President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation, said Trump’s recent remarks about Nigeria’s security challenges had emboldened violent groups trying to exploit international narratives to launch fresh attacks across the country.

However, in a statement issued on Thursday, Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the ADC, said Akume’s position was an attempt to shift blame. Abdullahi described it as “appalling” that the APC-led government suggested Nigeria’s insecurity was triggered by remarks from a foreign president.

He said the claim amounted to “a shameful abdication of responsibility” and showed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is struggling to control the security crisis.

The ADC spokesperson said Nigerians had faced massacres, mass abductions and attacks on schools and worship centres for years under the APC government.

He added that the situation has become worse under the current administration because of the “government’s failure to respond decisively”.

“It is therefore disingenuous to blame one tweet for the state of insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.

“Those killing Nigerians did not need to be instigated by Trump; they were already actively encouraged by a government that consistently fails to act decisively to stop the carnage, a government that is, even after nearly three years in office, still celebrating its electoral victory while the country is turned into a killing field.”

Abdullahi questioned how a sovereign government could attribute the collapse of its security system to a statement by a foreign leader.

He asked whether Nigeria is so vulnerable that “a social media post from Washington” could destabilise the country.

“If indeed Mr Trump’s statement constitutes such a security threat, what has been the government’s evaluation of that threat, and what measures have the government put in place to mitigate the potential threat that could emanate from it?” he queried.

“This is what any serious government would do. It would not just wait for these opportunistic attacks to start shopping for who to blame for its incompetence.”

He said Nigerians are tired of the government’s refusal to take responsibility for the situation. According to him, the country is “under siege” because of domestic negligence and incompetence, not because of Trump’s remarks.

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