The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Katsina and Zamfara States, following weeks of violent attacks that have claimed more than 140 lives in the last two months.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party condemned the recent massacre in Malumfashi, Katsina State, where gunmen reportedly killed 30 worshippers in a mosque and set fire to homes, burning 20 villagers alive.
The ADC also linked the tragedy to a wider pattern of bloodshed in the region, including the killing of 47 people in Zamfara, 38 of whom were executed despite ransom payments.
“This evil act epitomises the horrors that Nigerians have been forced to endure under this administration. It is also a damning proof of the total collapse of our national security architecture, which has prompted even the nation’s chief of defence staff, CDS, to ask citizens to learn how to defend themselves,” the statement read.
The party criticised President Tinubu for what it described as prioritising international trips over urgent domestic crises. “It is disheartening to note that instead of confronting these national tragedies with the seriousness they demand, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to jet-set across the world, chasing photo-ops, while his people are dying in dozens at home,” it added.
The ADC also berated PDP governors for holding a political meeting in Zamfara just days after the massacre, accusing them of insensitivity. “The photos of PDP governors in full ceremonial robes, grinning for the camera, are totally out of place in an environment that still reeks of blood and sorrow,” the party noted.
Beyond its call for a state of emergency, ADC urged the federal government to urgently overhaul Nigeria’s security framework. “The recent call by the chief of defence staff, CDS, for citizens to acquire self-defence skills is perhaps the most honest indicator yet that there is need to rethink the entire internal defence system,” it said.
The opposition party further accused both the APC and PDP of placing politics above the welfare of Nigerians, declaring: “Neither the ruling APC nor the incurably afflicted PDP care about the people and their suffering. They only care about power and politics.”