…Opposition Rues FG’s Slow Response to Nigeria’s Security Crisis
By Peter Salami
The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged the Federal Government to demonstrate at home the same urgency and resolve it displayed in helping to thwart last week’s coup attempt in the Republic of Benin. In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said a government capable of rapid cross-border security action must show equal determination in confronting the escalating insecurity within Nigeria’s borders.
The ADC praised the quick restoration of democratic order in Benin but said the contrast with Nigeria’s domestic security environment was “too glaring to ignore.” According to the party, while the administration moved with impressive speed to defend constitutional rule abroad, it has failed to match that commitment in tackling insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and violent crime that continue to endanger millions of Nigerians.
The opposition party also questioned what it called the government’s “selective urgency,” citing the crisis in Guinea-Bissau as an example. It recalled that even when a former Nigerian president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was caught in the middle of instability in that country, Abuja did not display the kind of swift, decisive posture it adopted in Benin. The ADC wondered why the defence of democracy appeared stronger across the border than within the region’s own troubled landscape.
Despite its criticism, the ADC commended what it described as a well-coordinated intervention to repel the attempted overthrow of Benin’s elected government. It urged the Tinubu administration to apply similar decisiveness to Nigeria’s worsening security problems, warning that public confidence cannot be rebuilt through external victories while internal threats multiply unchecked.
“We commend the Federal Government for acting promptly to defend constitutional order within our neighbourhood, recognising the need for consistent regional leadership and principled democratic commitments across West Africa,” the statement said. “However, a government demonstrating such capacity abroad must show citizens that the same urgency lives at home. Nothing erodes trust faster than uneven resolve.”
The party also emphasised the need for constitutional safeguards in cross-border operations. It cautioned that while the president’s prompt response in Benin may have been expedient, such action must still comply with constitutional requirements, including National Assembly approval for foreign military or security deployments. It insisted that strict adherence to legal provisions is necessary to prevent executive overreach and ensure institutional accountability.
The ADC further expressed alarm at what it described as a disturbing pattern of democratic reversals across the West African sub-region. It said democracy cannot survive without good governance, improved livelihoods, equitable opportunities, and tolerance for opposition parties. According to the party, Nigeria must lead by example—both in safeguarding democracy beyond its borders and in confronting the insecurity threatening its own stability.