ADC Slams FG, Says Nation Under Siege

…Presidency Denies Claims of Religious Killings
…Terrorists Target Christians and Muslims Alike – Onanuga

By Yinka Giwa

The national debate over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis intensified yesterday, as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused President Bola Tinubu of failing to confront escalating violence across the country, even as the Presidency dismissed allegations by a U.S. senator that Christians were being systematically targeted in religious killings.

In a strongly worded statement posted on X and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Nigeria was “under attack” and that the Tinubu administration must “stop pretending otherwise.” The opposition party accused the President of neglecting his constitutional duties as Commander-in-Chief while communities across several states continue to suffer relentless attacks from armed groups.

The ADC cited recent incidents in Kwara and Kogi States, where bandits allegedly killed travellers and abducted women and children, while residents in parts of Kwara were reportedly forced to provide food, money, and other items to their assailants. Abdullahi said at least nine local government areas in Kwara, once regarded as peaceful, had come under siege.

The statement further noted that more than 180 schools in northern Nigeria had been shut due to rising insecurity, with abductions and killings surging in Plateau, Zamfara, Benue, Niger, Kaduna, and Kwara States.

“The President’s claim of progress in the fight against insecurity is a tragic denial of reality,” Abdullahi said. “While citizens are being killed daily, the President attends social and political events with no show of empathy or urgency. This is unacceptable and irresponsible.”

The ADC accused the administration of showing “cruel indifference” to victims of violence and failing to visit affected communities, especially in Plateau State, where hundreds were massacred earlier in the year. It urged the Federal Government to publicly acknowledge the scale of the crisis, improve coordination of military operations, and publish transparent reports on security spending.

“What the country needs now is responsible leadership, operational urgency, and measurable results,” the statement concluded.

But in a swift counter-narrative that underscored the growing sensitivity of the security debate, the Presidency rejected claims of religiously motivated killings, following comments by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz alleging that Nigerian officials were “facilitating the mass murder of Christians.”

Cruz, in a post on X, had accused the Nigerian government of complicity in what he called “Islamist jihadist attacks” on Christians and proposed sanctions under his Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act.

Responding through the same platform, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, dismissed the U.S. lawmaker’s statement as “malicious and contrived lies,” insisting that violence in Nigeria is not religiously driven.

“Senator, stop these malicious lies against my country,” Onanuga wrote. “We do not have a religious war in Nigeria. Terrorists and bandits kill without discrimination. The degraded Boko Haram elements target everyone — soldiers, farmers, Muslims, and Christians alike. The bandits in the North-west even attack worshippers in their mosques.”

Onanuga stressed that Nigeria enjoys religious harmony despite its diversity, arguing that the country’s conflicts stem from criminality, not sectarian strife.

President Tinubu himself had earlier addressed the issue during a visit to Owerri, Imo State, where he described claims of religious genocide as “false and unfounded.” He maintained that after 65 years of independence, Nigerians have learned to coexist in unity and mutual respect.

“There is no religion under threat in Nigeria,” the President said. “Our strength lies in our diversity, and our faith in God continues to guide us as one people.”

However, critics say such statements fall short of addressing the deteriorating security situation on the ground. Civil society groups and opposition parties, including the ADC, continue to demand more decisive military action, improved intelligence coordination, and visible empathy from the nation’s leadership.

Analysts note that while the Presidency is keen to counter external narratives portraying Nigeria as a country in religious conflict, domestic discontent over insecurity — from rural banditry to mass abductions — remains one of the administration’s most urgent challenges.

One observer pointed out that as international scrutiny and local criticism converge, the Tinubu government must not only restore order but also convince Nigerians and the world that it has both the capacity and the will to end the wanton violence threatening Africa’s largest democracy.