The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday alleged that the Federal Government was “undermining the fight against insurgency” by engaging in secret negotiations with bandits linked to mass kidnappings across Nigeria.
The accusation was contained in a statement signed by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, during the party’s briefing in Abuja.
The opposition party welcomed the release of abducted worshippers in Kwara State and schoolchildren in Kebbi, but said the circumstances of their freedom expose unsettling gaps in the government’s security approach.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC pointed to conflicting accounts from key federal officials, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Presidential spokesperson, questioning what concessions, if any, were used to secure the releases.
The party asked whether money or other concessions were offered, warning that negotiations, secret or open, serve to strengthen criminal networks and fuel what it described as a “banditry economy” and a growing “banditry economy.”
The ADC also alleged that the return of bandits to communities shortly after their release shows a strategy that resets panic without resolving it.
It referenced the withdrawal of troops before the recent Kebbi school abduction, and incidents including kidnappings across Unity Schools, raising concerns that the security plan currently deployed is not dismantling insurgency structures but unintentionally enabling them.
The party further condemned the closure of 47 Federal Unity Schools, describing the decision as one that “emboldens extremist groups.”
As part of its call to action, the Nigerian Senate demanded the deployment of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel to federal schools, insisting that institutional protection of learning spaces must now move beyond rhetoric.
The party also pushed for the deployment of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps officers to all Federal Unity Schools, suggesting a fortified internal guard system under the mandate of national public safety.
Reinforcing its position, the party urged the government to secure schools and prove that Nigeria will not bow to terror, saying the safety of pupils must no longer be left to chance.
It also demanded guarantees for the safe return of every abducted child held by terrorists, and called for visible deterrent action to reverse what it described as a weakening national security architecture.
“The more we capitulate, the more ground we lose as a nation,” the ADC warned.
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