Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has faulted the House of Representatives’ call for the public naming and open trial of terrorism financiers, insisting that many lawmakers lack sincerity in tackling Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
This follows the adoption of a security report at Wednesday’s plenary, where lawmakers demanded full disclosure, sanctions, and transparent prosecution of those funding terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
But Adeyanju, speaking with Vanguard, argued that open trials alone cannot solve the problem. He accused some politicians of maintaining ties with terrorists in their constituencies, referencing a recent viral video showing a local government chairman in the North holding discussions with gunmen.
He lamented that security agencies only become active when Nigerians call for protests, while treating critical security issues with laxity.
According to him, “There is too much romance with terrorists in Nigeria. The only time you feel the presence of security agencies is when people call for a protest… But when it concerns actual public safety and national security, everything becomes business as usual. Security has been commercialised.”
Adeyanju also criticised a senator who reportedly urged President Bola Tinubu to remove National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and replace him with an ex-General, saying such suggestions do not address the root causes of insecurity.
He added that Nigeria’s security challenges did not start under the current administration, noting that terrorism became deeply entrenched during former President Buhari’s tenure, when vast territories were overrun and northern states such as Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, and Jigawa were heavily infiltrated by armed groups.
Adeyanju stressed that without genuine political will, government actions would amount to mere motions rather than solutions.
