The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, condemning the reported extortion of over ₦56 million from farmers in Zamfara State by armed bandits.
The party described the incident as a “national danger” and a sign of deepening state failure under the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC cited a viral video showing an entire village in Kwara State’s Ifelodun Local Government abandoned due to bandit threats.
Abdullahi said the footage illustrates a disturbing collapse of state authority, warning that Nigeria is “sliding into a dangerous phase of state failure.”
“When criminals can tax citizens at gunpoint, it means the state has surrendered its monopoly of force,” Abdullahi stated. “This is not just insecurity – it is a direct challenge to the legitimacy of the Nigerian government.”
The ADC expressed alarm that such incidents are occurring despite Nigeria having one of the largest defence budgets in Africa.
Abdullahi lamented that farmers are now forced to negotiate with warlords for the right to cultivate their land, while the government remains silent.
He also referenced a recent mass abduction in Zamfara, where about 50 people were kidnapped in a single attack, describing it as part of a growing pattern of insecurity spreading across regions previously considered safe.
The party questioned whether the Tinubu-led administration is still capable of fulfilling its primary duty: protecting lives and property.
Abdullahi recalled that in 2014, Tinubu had called for the resignation of then-President Goodluck Jonathan over Boko Haram attacks. “The security situation Tinubu campaigned against has now multiplied under his watch,” he said.
However, the ADC clarified that it is not calling for Tinubu’s resignation. “We only ask him to do his job,” Abdullahi said, adding that the President’s silence on Zamfara’s crisis contrasts sharply with his swift declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
“If the Tinubu administration cannot guarantee the safety of our farms and communities, then it has failed in its most basic responsibility,” the statement concluded.
“You cannot claim to be in charge while citizens are negotiating their survival with criminals.”
