The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of romancing bandits and kidnappers, and blamed it on the festering insecurity in the country.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement on X on Friday, noted that the National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu had earlier referred to terrorists “as his brothers,” while Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede is now calling them “sons.”

“These rhetorics reflect a dangerous mindset that accommodates and tolerates criminality instead of confronting it,” Abdullahi stated. He added that when a government begins to frame terrorists in familial terms, it blurs the moral and legal lines that must remain clear in any serious security response.

“With this mindset, it is easy to understand why the current approach has struggled to protect lives and decisively end the killings,” he said. The ADC spokesperson added that this must not be allowed to continue, and assured that under an ADC government, bandits, kidnappers and terrorists would be treated as enemies of Nigeria.

“We will establish special terrorism courts to ensure swift prosecution,” he added. Abdullahi stated that the party’s counter-terrorism framework would rest on four pillars local level intelligence gathering; state level prevention and deterrence; national level coordination and enforcement; as well as regional level collaboration across neighbouring countries.