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By Oscar Okhifo
Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong has accused President Bola Tinubu of prioritizing politics over public safety, saying the President has shown little commitment to tackling the surge in killings and mass abductions sweeping across Nigeria.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, and monitored by Pointblank news, Effiong said the President’s actions do not reflect the urgency required to tackle the worsening security situation.
“If, at a minimum, we do want to agree that the state has failed, we should be able to agree that Nigeria is failing and it’s failing at an accelerated rate because today we have a commander-in-chief that is not even commanding the Boy Scouts,” he said.
“We have a commander-in-chief whose words, whose orders, are almost meaningless.
“What the President is doing is welcoming decampees, celebrating governors and lawmakers crossing from the PDP and LP to the APC. That is what excites him.
“I have not seen that passion from this president to stop the killings.”
Effiong argued that the Federal Government has the capacity to end terrorism and banditry but lacks the political will to do so.
“I would never accept that the Nigerian government does not have the capacity to stop these things because how many are they?
“Members of Boko Haram, ISWAP, and the so-called bandits who are actually terrorists, how many are they?” he questioned.
Nigeria has witnessed a fresh surge of mass abductions in recent weeks, including students kidnapped in Niger and Kebbi States, and worshippers abducted in Kwara State, the latter, later released.
The incidents have deepened nationwide fear and frustration.
Although President Tinubu directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit Kebbi following the schoolgirls’ abduction and postponed his foreign trips to focus on security, Effiong dismissed these actions as insufficient.
“First, he has not visited the victims. Is the vice president the commander-in-chief? And when the vice president went to Kebbi, what did he achieve?” he asked.
He also criticised the reported withdrawal of police officers from VIPs for redeployment to security operations, questioning the impact of such measures.
Effiong maintained that only decisive leadership and visible commitment from the President can restore public trust and curb the rising tide of insecurity.