The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked the federal government to demonstrate the same speed and resolve in tackling banditry and terrorism at home as it did in responding to the attempted coup in the Benin Republic.
A group of soldiers announced a takeover in Benin on Sunday, but the country’s presidency later said President Patrice Talon was safe and that loyalist forces were regaining control. Nigeria assisted by deploying fighter jets for combat air patrols around Cotonou at the request of the Beninese government.
In a statement on Monday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC national publicity secretary, said the government’s rapid reaction abroad only underscores its slow and inconsistent approach to spiralling insecurity inside Nigeria.
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“The federal government acted promptly to defend constitutional order in our neighbourhood,” Abdullahi said. “But if Nigeria can respond decisively across its borders, why has it failed to act with similar urgency at home?”
He said bandits and armed groups continue to “hold communities hostage, displace families, abduct children, and operate openly”, while government responses remain fragmented.
The ADC also raised concerns about legal compliance, noting that the president’s authorisation of foreign military deployment requires National Assembly ratification under the constitution.
“While the unilateral action might have been expedient, it still requires legislative approval,” Abdullahi said, adding that Nigeria must also be consistent in its approach to foreign interventions — including in Guinea-Bissau, where he recalled Nigeria hesitated even when a former Nigerian president was at risk.
The party warned that repeated coups in West Africa highlight deeper governance failures in the region. Abdullahi said the strongest defence against military takeovers is democratic governance that protects citizens, improves livelihoods and tolerates dissent.
“Defending democracy begins with securing Nigerian lives and rebuilding trust between the state and its people,” the statement added.
