The African Democratic Congress on Thursday faulted the Federal Government for blaming recent terror attacks in Kebbi and Kwara States on remarks made by United States President Donald Trump, describing the claim as a desperate attempt by the current administration to dodge accountability amid worsening insecurity.
In a statement issued in Abuja, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the comments credited to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, amounted to “shameful abdication of responsibility.”
“The ADC is surprised by the comments attributed to the SGF, Senator George Akume, in which he bizarrely blames recent terrorist attacks in Kebbi and Kwara States on remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We find it quite appalling that the APC-led Federal Government claims its security failures are caused by a tweet by the president of another country. This is a shameful abdication of responsibility, a confirmation that the Tinubu government is overwhelmed by the security situation in the country and is clueless about how to go about solving it,” the party said.
The ADC said Nigerians had endured serious insecurity under the APC, noting that the situation had deteriorated “with each passing year.”
“It is therefore disingenuous to blame one tweet for the state of insecurity in Nigeria. Those killing Nigerians did not need to be instigated by Trump. They were already actively encouraged by a government that consistently fails to act decisively to stop the carnage.
“A government that is, even after nearly three years in office, still celebrating its electoral victory while the country is turned into a killing field,” the party added.
The ADC further questioned why an administration that prides itself on sovereignty would attribute the collapse of its security system to the words of a foreign leader.
Abdullahi argued that if Trump’s statement truly constituted a serious threat, the government should have provided a formal assessment and outlined mitigation measures.
“This is what any serious government would do. It would not just wait for these opportunistic attacks to start shopping for who to blame for its incompetence,” he said.
“Nigerians are tired of this government’s mentality and approach to tackling this problem of insecurity. But how can a government that is incapable of accepting responsibility be trusted to find a solution?”
The statement concluded by insisting that Nigeria’s security woes were rooted in domestic failures, not foreign comments.
Akume’s remarks followed Trump’s October 31 designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged persecution of Christians—a position reported by PUNCH Online.
The US president had warned that Washington could deploy American forces to Nigeria and suspend assistance if the Tinubu administration failed to curb the alleged killings.
In his statement, Akume argued that insurgent networks—previously “significantly degraded”—were now attempting to leverage Trump’s comments “to gain visibility” and justify attacks.
“Recent pronouncements from the United States have inadvertently emboldened opportunistic violent groups seeking to exploit international narratives and make bold statements by attacking soft targets,” he said.
According to the SGF, the resurgence underscored the need for discreet security cooperation between Abuja and Washington rather than public condemnations.
