Akpabio Rebuked for Blaming Opposition for Nigeria’s Insecurity

Arise Television News Director Sumner Sambo publicly rebuked Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday for attributing Nigeria’s insecurity crisis to opposition forces, warning that such politically motivated claims trivialised one of the gravest threats to the country’s stability and sent the wrong signal to citizens suffering the consequences of banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.

Akpabio had suggested in public remarks that opposition politicians were partly responsible for fuelling insecurity across Nigeria, an allegation that Sambo described as not only unfounded but also deeply irresponsible coming from the presiding officer of the Senate, who should be focused on accelerating the state police constitutional amendment and other legislative solutions rather than deflecting political blame.

Criticism Comes as Security Worsens

Sambo’s rebuke came in the same week that gunmen killed 22 people in a Plateau State village, bandits held 39 Zamfara elders hostage, the Oyo abduction entered its seventh week, and the US sanctioned Nigerian BDC operators for ISIS financing. Critics said blaming the opposition for these incidents was not only unconvincing but also distracted from the urgent need for concrete policy responses.

Opposition parties welcomed Sambo’s criticism, describing it as an independent media voice confirming what they had been saying for months. Labour Party spokesperson Obiora Ifoh said the Akpabio comment reflected the government’s instinct to blame others rather than accept responsibility for security failures that were occurring on its watch.

Senate Must Deliver on Security Legislation

Furthermore, civil society groups said the Senate’s most important contribution to addressing insecurity was to pass the state police constitutional amendment before the end of 2026, not to make partisan accusations. They said the upper chamber’s credibility on security was better demonstrated through legislative action than through political rhetoric. Notably, senators from opposition parties used the floor this week to demand urgent federal intervention in Kwara North, Plateau, and Zamfara, all of which were experiencing active attacks. Consequently, the pressure on the Senate to match its security rhetoric with concrete legislative delivery has never been more acute.