Akpabio attributes terrorism to handiwork of enemies of Tinubu’s reforms
By Nwamulunamma Ogbunka l’Orumba, Abuja
Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, Nigeria’s Senate President has on Tuesday in Abuja, attributed rising terrorism in Nigeria to the handiwork of those working against President Tinubu’s reform agenda. The senate President said this in his goodwill message at the official commissioning of the Nigeria Revenue Service Headquarters in Abuja.
“Believe me Mr President, two weeks after you win the elections, the bomb blasts will stop. People are sponsoring it to distract you from your work,” he said, adding, “You’re doing so well despite the gang up on your administration.”
His comments came less than 24 hours after President Tinubu held closed-door talks with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and a French general at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity described Monday’s meeting as part of intensified collaboration on Nigeria’s security situation. The meeting began at about 2:00pm and was Tinubu’s first official engagement since returning from Bayelsa on Friday.
It also followed the President’s announcement three weeks ago that France had agreed to supply military equipment and training to Nigerian forces battling insurgency in the North-East.
Akpabio’s remarks come amid rapidly deteriorating security conditions nationwide, including a controversial airstrike on Saturday that reportedly killed over 100 civilians, and a fresh United States advisory authorising the voluntary departure of non-emergency embassy staff from Abuja.
On Saturday, a Nigerian Air Force strike targeting Boko Haram insurgents hit the Jilli market in Yobe State, near the Borno border. Amnesty International cited survivors and hospital authorities confirming over 40 civilian deaths, including children, while local sources put the figure as high as 200.
The military described the operation as a precision strike on a terrorist logistics hub. However, Amnesty International condemned what it called “reckless use of deadly force” and demanded an independent investigation.
The Presidency defended the operation. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, told journalists on Monday that “the market was a legitimate military target because it has been turned into a logistics and trading hub by Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.”
Multiple reports indicate that military air raids have killed at least 500 civilians since 2017, with failures in intelligence gathering and coordination between ground forces and air assets cited as contributing factors.
On April 8, the United States Department of State authorised the voluntary departure of non-emergency government employees and family members from the US Embassy in Abuja, citing a deteriorating security situation. The move raised 23 Nigerian states to “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” including Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba. The Federal Government said the alert was guided by US internal protocols and did not reflect the overall security situation, with Information Minister Mohammed Idris insisting “the vast majority of the country remains stable.”
