Kwara, Katsina Attacks: Nigeria’s Internal Security Architecture Has Failed – ADC

By Ayodele Oni

The African Democratic Congress, (ADC), has observed that recent mass killings in Kwara and Katsina states by bandits, highlight deep structural failures in Nigeria’s internal security architecture, particularly in intelligence gathering, border control, inter-agency coordination, and emergency response capability.

The opposition party also queried the recent recruitment exercise carried out by the Nigeria Police, which the presidency claimed was by of  emergency response to security challenges.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party questioned the effectiveness of President Bola Tinubu’s much-publicized declaration of a state of emergency on security and the promised recruitment of thousands of police officers, noting that the continued wave of mass killings across the country suggests that these measures were either ineffective or merely rhetorical.

The ADC also raised concerns that the heightened security posture witnessed last year—following public comments by the President of the United States on Nigeria’s insecurity—may have been more about earning international approval than implementing a genuine, sustainable strategy to protect lives.

According to the party, the scale and frequency of killings since then clearly show that whatever measures the government has adopted are not working, arguing that the current security approach is merely redistributing terror rather than eliminating it.

“This horrific massacre is one of the worst atrocities recorded in recent times and stands as a painful reminder of the complete collapse of security across the country.

“What makes this tragedy even more troubling are growing concerns, as noted by several analysts, that the perpetrators may be terrorist elements displaced by the United States’ Christmas Day military action in Sokoto State, who are now relocating to other parts of the country due to weak internal security coordination.

“The grim conclusion from this development—now made evident by industrial-scale killings in areas previously considered safe—is that the Tinubu administration is not winning the war against terror; it is merely redistributing it.

“Whether it is the mass abductions in Kaduna or the mass killings in Kwara, both highlight deep structural failures in Nigeria’s internal security architecture, particularly in intelligence gathering, border control, inter-agency coordination, and emergency response capability.

“Nigerians are therefore compelled to ask serious questions. What has become of the President’s much-publicized declaration of a state of emergency on security announced in November 2025?

“Was it a sincere commitment to restoring safety, or merely a rhetorical response to mounting domestic and international pressure?

“The ADC recalls that the Presidency also announced a major recruitment drive into the Nigeria Police Force as part of this emergency response. Tens of thousands of new personnel were reportedly approved for recruitment.

“Nigerians deserve clear answers: Have these recruits been employed, trained, and deployed, or has the exercise quietly stalled? If such measures were genuinely implemented, rural communities like those in Kwara State should not be left completely exposed to mass slaughter.

“The painful truth is that Nigeria’s security crisis has moved beyond the competence and capacity of the Tinubu-led Federal Government.

“Killings have become routine, accountability has vanished, and official responses have been reduced to condolences after each tragedy—ignoring the fact that any government unable to protect its citizens has failed in its most fundamental duty.

“The African Democratic Congress therefore calls on the Federal Government to immediately come clean with Nigerians on the true state of national security, account for the police recruitment it announced, and explain how it intends to halt the spread and relocation of terrorist groups across the country.

“Nigeria cannot continue on this path of denial and inaction. Lives are not statistics, and governance is not public relations. The ADC stands firmly with Nigerians in demanding competent leadership, honest governance, and a security strategy that protects lives rather than reacts after mass graves have been dug.”