ADC and PDP issue harsh criticism over insecurity, accusing Tinubu’s government of evading responsibility after deadly Kebbi and Kwara attacks
ABUJA, 20 November 2025. Nigeria’s major opposition parties on Thursday delivered harsh criticism over insecurity, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of evading responsibility as attacks in Kebbi and Kwara states deepen public anxiety.
Also read: Tinubu Administration Criticism Intensifies as ADC Chieftain Labels Govt a ‘Disastrous Catastrophe’
African Democratic Congress National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi condemned remarks by Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, who linked the recent assaults to comments made by United States President Donald Trump.
Abdullahi described the claim as a shameful abdication of responsibility and said it showed the government had been overwhelmed by spiralling violence.
The ADC said the All Progressives Congress government was attempting to shift blame for years of mass abductions, deadly raids and assaults on schools and worship centres.
Abdullahi argued that domestic attackers did not need foreign provocation, insisting they had grown bold because federal authorities failed to act decisively.
Akume had earlier suggested that extremist networks, previously weakened, were exploiting Trump’s October statement designating Nigeria a country of particular concern. He said insurgent groups were trying to gain visibility by striking soft targets.
The Peoples Democratic Party issued its own rebuke, characterising Tinubu’s decision to cancel scheduled trips to South Africa and Angola as tokenism rather than a meaningful attempt to address the escalating crisis.
PDP National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong said Nigerians should not confuse cancelled travel plans with genuine leadership, arguing that the President should relocate to affected areas if he was serious about security.
Ememobong accused the government of offering denials and empty assurances while citizens lived with constant fear.
He said the administration often mobilised quickly for political disputes but failed to show the same urgency for the protection of lives.
The criticism follows the 17 November abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.
Gunmen scaled the fence, exchanged fire with security personnel and killed the vice principal, Hassan Makuku, before fleeing with the students.
Local officials say some of the girls have since escaped, and security forces are combing forests as the rescue effort continues.
In a separate attack, armed men stormed a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara State, killing at least three worshippers and kidnapping the pastor and several congregants, heightening fears of expanding violence against civilians.
Both the Senate and the Kebbi State Government have condemned the incidents, calling for urgent and coordinated action to recover the abducted victims and strengthen national security architecture.
Also read: PDP Leaders Vow to Defend Democracy Amid Secretariat Clash
As public pressure mounts, opposition leaders say the government must move beyond symbolic gestures and demonstrate the strategic resolve demanded by the moment.
