Bolaji Abdullahi, the national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has declared that the recent wave of deadly attacks across Nigeria is “concrete proof that Nigeria has no government”.
Abdullahi made the remark on Saturday via his X account, citing a 2014 statement by President Bola Tinubu, who at the time was governor of Lagos State.
In that post, Tinubu had blamed the Boko Haram insurgency and the killing of innocent citizens in the North-East on the absence of effective governance.
More than a decade later, Abdullahi says the same words now apply to Tinubu’s own administration.
“The festering insecurity and violent attacks in Kwara, Katsina and other parts of the country, and massacre of innocent Nigerians is concrete proof that Nigeria has no government,” Abdullahi wrote, directly echoing Tinubu’s past comment.
Tinubu’s 2014 post has resurfaced in recent weeks as insecurity worsens across several states, becoming a rallying point for critics of the federal government.
Fresh Wave of Attacks
Nigeria has witnessed a sharp rise in violent attacks since the start of the year, particularly in northern communities plagued by banditry and terrorism.
On February 2, suspected Boko Haram fighters killed at least 17 people in Guzamala-Abbari village, affecting parts of Guzamala and Nganzai local government areas of Borno State.
A day later, armed bandits reportedly killed no fewer than 20 residents in the Doma A and Doma B communities of Tafoki ward, Faskari local government area of Katsina State.
On February 4, terrorists launched a devastating assault on Nuku and Woro communities in Kaiama local government area of Kwara State, killing at least 75 people and setting homes ablaze.
The renewed violence has intensified public anger and criticism of the Tinubu administration’s handling of national security.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")