The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has unleashed a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu’s government, condemning what he termed a carefree attitude and cosmetic approach toward escalating insecurity across the country.
In an indictment of the government’s priorities, Adebayo lamented that terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, who have routinely maimed, killed, and sacked entire villages, appear to enjoy protection and impunity, while other citizens perceived to have crossed the line are decisively dealt with.
The SDP leader questioned the government's capability and commitment by contrasting the swift capture and prosecution of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, who was tracked down and arrested in Kenya, with the systemic failure to apprehend kidnappers operating freely within Nigeria’s borders.
“This is a government that could capture somebody in Nairobi, Kenya, bring him to trial and sentence him to life in jail. But, they cannot capture people who are going around, terrorising everybody here in Nigeria,” Adebayo stated.
He challenged the notion of security helplessness by stating the logistical difficulty of mass abductions, implying a lack of genuine effort or will from security agencies.
“How are you going to carry 35 people and take them somewhere without the security personnel doing anything about it?” he queried, referring to the frequent kidnapping of large groups, including schoolchildren.
Prince Adebayo did not mince words when addressing the President directly, asserting that Tinubu must cease communicating failure and immediately get a grip on his armed forces.
He invoked a historical precedent, recalling the decisiveness of former President Ibrahim Babangida during the notorious reign of armed robber, Lawrence Anini in the 1980s.
“Remember, one-armed robber, Lawrence Anini, was disturbing people in the old Bendel State, and Etim Iyang was the Commissioner of Police.
“He was coming to the Armed Forces Ruling Council’s meeting when President Babangida asked him, Where is Anini? Before you come here and start sitting with us, my friend, where is Anini? And within a short period, they captured Anini,” he recounted.
"President Tinubu needs to call the armed forces to deal with the terrorists and all of that. For kidnappers and all these opportunistic criminals who are taking easy targets, he needs to call the IGP, Egbetokun, and tell him, My friend, where are these kidnappers? And if I hear one more kidnapping, you are gone,” Prince Adebayo added.
Further deepening his criticism, Adebayo alleged that President Tinubu has never been genuinely serious about addressing insecurity.
He suggested the government had been treating perpetrators with kid gloves until a recent external trigger forced a change in approach.
“The only reason he's sensitive to it now is that Trump sent a tweet,” Adebayo asserted, claiming that the alleged tweet from the incumbent American President awakened Tinubu to the severity of the crisis he oversees.
He argued that the administration’s poor economic policies have already heated the whole country, making Nigerians desperate and wild, thereby fuelling the crisis.
Adebayo pointed out the plight of thousands of victims of petty and major kidnappings, including one chance victims, who have been ignored by the government.
He urged the President to remain serious about security full-time, not just when responding to foreign pressure or threats of intervention.
Prince Adebayo noted that recently, successful security actions prove that government capability is not the issue, but rather the political will.
“If they keep this momentum and stop using security as an excuse for mismanaging resources and diverting public funds, if they actually get the job done, nobody can keep our children in captivity, and nobody will be able to succeed,” he maintained.
The SDP chieftain suggested that Nigeria’s core security personnel are among the world's most intelligent, but their efforts are being undermined by the man at the top.
“The only mistake we made, and I say this with every sense of gravity, is that we elected President Tinubu as Commandant-in-Chief. That’s a big mistake. If you get the smartest people in the US Marine Corps, the CIA and other people’s armed forces, they are not as smart as our officers,” he stated.
Adebayo also dismissed the recent presidential order for security agencies to publicly cordon off forests as counterproductive and belated, arguing that such a public declaration allows criminals to re-strategise.
He blamed President Tinubu for appointing those he termed as saboteurs and prioritising political patronage over national competence, citing the failure to appoint key diplomatic representatives.
Prince Adebayo questioned the lack of ambassadors or high commissioners in crucial global capitals, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Germany, all Security Council members.
“You are treating ambassadorial appointments like any other political appointment that you are going to use to force people to come and join you. That’s not going to augur well for your government,” Adebayo cautioned, emphasising that Nigeria's diplomatic posture is being compromised by domestic political calculations.
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