Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 elections, Adewole Adebayo, has criticised President Bola Tinubu, alleging that the administration has “lost control” of the nation’s security architecture. Adebayo made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television, where he spoke extensively on the escalating wave of kidnappings and other violent crimes across the country.
He questioned why criminal groups appear to operate freely despite the government’s Why is it that kidnappers are communicating freely? They are communicating with the victims, they are coordinating,” Adebayo said. “The government needs to come out and confess the truth that they are enabling this insecurity.”
The SDP chieftain argued that regardless of the motives behind violent crimes, the government has a constitutional obligation to apprehend offenders.
“All these different words being used are saying the same thing, that we have bad government in Nigeria,” he stated. “Somebody is coming to snatch babies from the cradle, housewives from their homes. Your job is to apprehend them,” he said. access to extensive surveillance tools. Why is it that kidnappers are communicating freely? They are communicating with the victims, they are coordinating,” Adebayo said. “The government needs to come out and confess the truth that they are enabling this insecurity.”
The SDP chieftain argued that regardless of the motives behind violent crimes, the government has a constitutional obligation to apprehend offenders.
“All these different words being used are saying the same thing, that we have bad government in Nigeria,” he stated. “Somebody is coming to snatch babies from the cradle, housewives from their homes. Your job is to apprehend them,” he said.
Adebayo insisted that the Nigerian state possesses the legal and technological capacity to track criminal activity, yet fails to deploy those tools against kidnappers.
“Right now, I cannot send 50 naira from my account to my wife because I have BVN, I have NIN,” he said. “If you are online and you criticise any big man, police will grab you immediately. Why is it that kidnappers are communicating freely?” Adebayo queried.
Citing the stringent banking and telecommunications regulations faced by ordinary Nigerians, Adebayo accused state actors of complicity in the proliferation of ransom payments.
“I cannot go to the bank and tell the manager I want to withdraw six million naira; they will not answer me. But people are paying millions in ransom,” he argued. “The first enemy of government is government. You cannot commit a crime and last one week if government people are not cooperating with you.”
He further questioned the government’s commitment to policing at the grassroots, noting that police divisions exist across all local governments.
“What I am saying is that President Tinubu, in my own humble view, has lost control of his government,” Adebayo declared. “He needs to put his house together, organise his government, make sure he understands that police cover this country effectively.”
Adebayo referenced past instances where security agencies successfully apprehended high-profile individuals across borders.
“This is a government that could capture somebody in Nairobi, Kenya, and bring him here,” he said. “Are you telling me police cannot act when kidnappers carry hundreds of people? Have you been a nursery school teacher before? To get 35 children to cooperate is not easy,” he maintained.
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