ADC Condemns Tinubu's Security Policy as Ineffective Drama
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's directive to withdraw police personnel from Very Important Persons (VIPs) protection duties, describing the move as mere political theater that fails to address Nigeria's escalating security crisis.
Empty Promises and Political Grandstanding
In a statement released on 24 November 2025 by party spokesperson Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC dismissed the presidential directive as recycled rhetoric that demonstrates the government's fundamental misunderstanding of Nigeria's complex security challenges. The opposition party highlighted that this marks the third such announcement in 2025 alone, with previous orders from the Inspector General of Police producing no tangible results.
The ADC argued that a country grappling with terrorism, banditry, mass abductions, and violent crime cannot afford to mistake public relations exercises for substantive policy. According to the party's assessment, the government appears more focused on generating favorable headlines than implementing meaningful security reforms.
Fundamental Flaws in Security Approach
The party raised serious concerns about the practical implementation of the police withdrawal policy, questioning the government's claim that it would add 100,000 officers to active security duty. "Where is the data supporting this claim? Where is the operational plan?" the ADC demanded in their statement.
More critically, the party emphasized that merely redeploying police officers accustomed to VIP protection duties to combat roles would achieve little, given their inadequate training and equipment for counter-insurgency operations. The ADC pointed out that even Nigeria's military struggles against sophisticated insurgents, making ill-prepared police personnel particularly vulnerable.
The party also questioned the logic of replacing withdrawn police officers with personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC), whose primary mandate includes disaster risk reduction and community safety education rather than high-level security operations.
Call for Comprehensive Security Overhaul
Rather than what it termed cosmetic reshuffling of personnel, the ADC demanded a complete overhaul of Nigeria's security architecture. The party proposed a holistic national security strategy that would:
- Integrate all security agencies into a unified counter-insurgency force
- Modernize equipment and training methods
- Prioritize intelligence gathering and analysis
- Establish clear operational frameworks and logistical support systems
The ADC concluded that if the Tinubu administration is genuinely serious about securing the nation, it must move beyond press briefings and pronouncements to implement substantial reforms. The party warned that half-measures and dramatic gestures would continue to prove inadequate against the sophisticated security threats facing Nigeria.
