The African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the killing and abduction of worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, is making the narrative of Christian genocide a self-fulfilling prophecy under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
ADC, in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the Federal Government of being reactive and defensive instead of confronting the challenge.
“This tragedy is another painful reminder of the pervasive insecurity that has taken root across the country,” the party stated.
According to the statement, coming within hours of an attack in Kebbi State where school officials were killed and students abducted, the Kwara brutal attack and abduction give the impression that the Tinubu government has lost control, and that Nigerians now live at the mercy of gunmen who are now emboldened by the government’s failure to act decisively.
ADC said it is particularly concerned that the Christian genocide narrative, which was earlier dismissed, “is gradually becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy due to the failure of the government to conduct an honest appraisal of the problem.
“We were indeed dismayed by the statement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, in a recent interview, claiming that only 177 Christians have been killed in the last five years.
“We find this statement unfortunate and offensive. And if it reflects the thinking within the Federal Government, such a statement would explain why this government has failed to address the problem and why it cannot be trusted to solve it.
“We would like to reiterate, deaths cannot be reduced to numbers. It does not matter how many people have been killed or what religion or language they speak.
“As seen in the video on the Eruku church attack, one poor old woman, cut down by bullets while she prays, is enough.”
ADC regretted that the Tinubu government does not know how to take responsibility or how to be accountable, and wondered how an official of government could engage in “the wrong-headedness and dangerous race to the bottom argument over which religious group has recorded more casualties in the country.
“Does 117 deaths make this situation more acceptable? Or, does the argument that more Muslims have been killed make it less tragic?”
The party said that under Tinubu’s administration, Nigeria is fast turning into a killing field, while the president does not appear to recognise that his most important job is to protect life.
“Nigeria is bleeding, communities are grieving, families are being destroyed, and the government continues to respond with excuses, denial, and dangerous rhetoric,” it said.
ADC called on the Federal Government to arrest this growing anarchy before it consumes us all, adding, “Nigerians deserve protection, not platitudes. Our houses of worship must be safe, our communities must be safe, our country must be safe.”
