The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticized recent remarks by top security officials, warning that such language could weaken Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
In a statement, the party, through its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, expressed concern for what it described as a troubling pattern in the way terrorists are being publicly referred to by government officials.
“First, the NSA referred to terrorists as his brothers. Now, the Chief of Army Staff is referring to terrorists as sons. These rhetorics reflect a dangerous mindset that accommodates and tolerates criminality instead of confronting it,” the party frowned.
ADC said describing terrorists in familial terms risks sending the wrong message about the seriousness of insecurity in the country.
“When a government begins to frame terrorists in familial terms, it blurs the moral and legal lines that must remain clear in any serious security response,” ADC said.
The party argued that such an approach may explain why efforts to tackle insecurity have not produced the desired results.
“With this mindset, it is easy to understand why the current approach has struggled to protect lives and decisively end the killings,” it added.
It stressed that the situation must change, insisting that a firmer and clearer strategy is needed. ADC went on to outline how it would handle security challenges if given the mandate to govern, stating that there would be no confusion in dealing with criminals.
“Under an ADC government, there will be no ambiguity. Bandits and kidnappers and terrorists will be treated the same as all enemies of Nigeria,” it said, and proposed the creation of special courts to fast-track terrorism cases.
It added that its counter-terrorism strategy would focus on coordinated action at different levels of governance and across borders. According to the party, “Our counter-terrorism framework will rest on four pillars.
“These pillars given by the ADC include local level intelligence gathering; State level prevention and deterrence; National level coordination and enforcement; and regional level collaboration across neighbouring countries.”
ADC further emphasised that protecting citizens would remain its top priority. “We will not cuddle terrorists. The message will be clear: there will be severe consequences for killing a Nigerian. A terrorist will neither be a son nor a brother. They are the enemy and will be treated as such,” it said.
