African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sparked fresh controversy over Nigeria’s security strategy after its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, criticised recent remarks by top security officials describing terrorists in familial terms, warning that such rhetoric reflects a troubling approach to tackling insecurity.
In a post on X, Abdullahi expressed concern over what he described as a dangerous narrative emerging from the country’s security leadership. He wrote: “First, the NSA referred to terrorists as his brothers. Now, the Chief of Defense Staff is referring to terrorists as sons.”
According to him, such statements risk undermining the seriousness required in confronting violent crimes. “These rhetorics reflect a dangerous mindset that accommodates and tolerates criminality instead of confronting it,” Abdullahi stated, adding that “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.”
The ADC spokesman argued that the current approach may partly explain the persistent insecurity across parts of the country. “With this mindset, it is easy to understand why the current approach has struggled to protect lives and decisively end the killings. This must not be allowed to continue,” he said.
Outlining the opposition party’s proposed strategy, Abdullahi said an ADC-led government would adopt a tougher stance against criminal groups. “Under an ADC government, there will be no ambiguity. Bandits and kidnappers and terrorists will be treated the same as all enemies of Nigeria,” he declared.
He further revealed that the party plans to establish special terrorism courts to ensure speedy trials and prosecution of suspects.
Abdullahi explained that the ADC’s counter-terrorism framework would be built on four key pillars: Local level intelligence gathering, state level prevention and deterrence, national level coordination and enforcement and regional level collaboration across neighbouring countries
‘We Will Not Cuddle Terrorists’ — ADC
The ADC spokesman stressed that citizen protection would remain the central focus of the party’s security policy. “Like in all other things, ADC will put citizens first,” he said.
He added: “We will not cuddle terrorists. The message will be clear: there will be severe consequences for killing a Nigerian.”
Abdullahi concluded with a firm position on how terrorists should be perceived and treated. “A terrorist will neither be a son nor a brother. They are the enemy and will be treated as such.”
The remarks have since generated debate on social media, with political observers describing the statement as one of the most direct criticisms yet from the ADC on Nigeria’s current counter-terrorism rhetoric and strategy.