The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a strong rebuke of the President Bola Tinubu administration over the escalating insecurity in Zamfara State, specifically citing reports of bandits extorting a tax of N56 million from local farmers. While condemning the state of affairs, the party clarified that it is not calling for the president’s resignation but rather for him to fulfill his constitutional duty of protecting lives and property.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC highlighted that the security challenges, which were a central theme of Tinubu’s presidential campaign, have “exponentially increased” since he took office. The statement drew a direct comparison between the federal government’s response to the crises in Rivers State and Zamfara State.
Abdullahi questioned why the situation in Zamfara—marked by “industrial scale kidnapping and a direct challenge to the authority of the Nigerian State by way of bandit tax”—has not received the same level of presidential attention as the one in Rivers State, which warranted a state of emergency.
The party urged President Tinubu to set aside all other preoccupations and focus his full attention on restoring order in Zamfara State and other parts of the country plagued by banditry. “We only ask him to do his job,” the statement read.
