Africa-Press – Nigeria. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Ben Adaji, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to designate individuals and groups opposing recent United States military action against terrorist targets in Nigeria as enemies of the nation.
Adaji made the call on Saturday in Jalingo, Taraba State, while reacting to criticisms by some Islamic clerics over reported US airstrikes on terrorist enclaves in parts of North-West Nigeria on Thursday evening.
He said public condemnation of the US action amounted to “the height of hypocrisy” or an indication of complicity in the prolonged insecurity facing the country. According to him, Nigerians have endured severe hardship and losses as a result of terrorist activities.
“Nigerians have continued to suffer untold hardship and huge losses due to the activities of these terrorists,” Adaji said.
He noted that the damage caused by violent groups was immeasurable in terms of lives lost, property destroyed and Nigeria’s image globally.
The APC chieftain, a former House of Representatives candidate for Ankpa Federal Constituency in Kogi State, expressed surprise that any Nigerian would sympathise with armed groups responsible for years of violence and destruction.
“It is simply unfathomable that any rational human being should be sympathetic to their cause, except if they are complicit,” he said.
Adaji called on President Tinubu to take a firm stance against critics of the airstrikes, alleging that such individuals could be sponsors or beneficiaries of terrorist activities. He also advocated an end to negotiations with armed groups, urging a more decisive military approach.
He further appealed to the United States to sustain and expand its military support to cover all regions affected by insecurity, including areas experiencing banditry and attacks by armed herders.
Describing himself as an expert in human security and counter-terrorism, Adaji also urged the President and the National Security Adviser to ensure the public prosecution of individuals identified as supporters of terrorist groups.
“The actions of terrorists are an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty,” he said, adding that anyone condemning the US airstrikes should be treated as an enemy of the country.
He questioned the politicization of insecurity, which he said had claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed property worth billions of naira. He also stressed that religious leaders were not above the law and noted that both Christians and Muslims had been victims of violent attacks.
Adaji called on Nigerian security agencies to remain resolute in defending citizens and protecting the nation’s territorial integrity, while urging the federal government to fully support what he described as genuine international interventions aimed at restoring peace and safeguarding Nigeria’s dignity.
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