Thursday, November 27, 2025 - The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Federal Government over the handling of recent kidnappings across the country, warning that negotiating with bandits is a dangerous path that undermines national security.
In a statement released on Wednesday and signed by the
party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said
that while it rejoices with families whose loved ones were freed including
worshippers abducted from Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun in Kwara State,
and students kidnapped in Kebbi, the government must answer hard questions.
According to the ADC, these abductions should never have
happened if the government was alive to its constitutional responsibilities.
The party accused the administration of being distracted by
politics and reacting only when embarrassed internationally.
“While we are delighted that these citizens can finally
reunite with their families, we must reiterate our long-standing position that
these abductions should never have occurred in the first place if the
government were alive to its constitutional responsibilities.
“What the country is witnessing today is the consequence of
an administration distracted by politics and behaving less like a democratic
government and more like an occupying force. It is telling that it took a
chastening comment from President Trump to provoke even the slightest response
from our government.
“Yet, even as we welcome the safe return of the victims, we
remain deeply concerned about the opaque and troubling manner in which their
release was secured,” the statement reads.
The ADC said the circumstances surrounding the victims’
release remain unclear, adding that the conflicting statements from top
officials show the Federal Government is not being honest with Nigerians.
The party expressed deep concern over comments from security
leaders suggesting that kidnappers were not arrested because they voluntarily
came out for peace talks.
“It is alarming that a presidential spokesman reportedly
claimed the victims were freed because security operatives asked them nicely.
The party questioned whether the government is paying ransom
or entering agreements with violent groups that have killed innocent Nigerians.
“This raises serious questions: Is the Nigerian government
paying ransom to insurgents? What exactly was exchanged for the so-called
surrender of weapons by the kidnappers? And if these bandits truly surrendered
weapons, what prevents them from simply acquiring new ones and continuing their
criminal enterprise, if they are not going to be arrested and brought to face
justice? What happened to the people they shot and killed in cold blood? Where
is justice for the families of those victims if their murderers are allowed to
go scot-free because government needs a quick-win to celebrate?
The ADC added that if the government has chosen negotiation
as its main response to insurgency and rising kidnappings, then the country is
headed in a dangerous direction.
It described the approach as a shortcut that avoids
confronting the crisis properly. By indulging armed groups instead of
dismantling them, the party said, the government is helping widen the banditry
economy.
On the recent closure of Unity Schools following multiple
abductions, the party warned that shutting down learning centres plays directly
into the ideology of extremists.
“By closing schools, the government is reinforcing the very
ideology Boko Haram was built upon,” the statement said.
The ADC added that the government appears unable to
determine the exact number of children kidnapped in different states in the
past week, calling this a damning indictment of its competence.
The party faulted the alleged abandonment of the Safe
Schools Initiative and urged the government to deploy the Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to all Federal Unity Schools to allow immediate
reopening.
“The more we capitulate, the more ground we lose as a
nation. Every day that schools remain closed, terrorists grow bolder,
communities grow more fearful, and Nigeria drifts further from the promise of
security and stability. A country that cannot protect its children cannot
protect its future.”
” Reopen the schools. Secure the schools. Bring our children
home,” it said.
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