A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order a full investigation into allegations that the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, were involved in arming Fulani bandits and other non-state actors in the state.
In a statement issued on Friday, Frank also appealed to the United States government to consider imposing visa restrictions on the two officials and to exercise caution in sharing intelligence with Nigeria until the matter is thoroughly investigated.
Frank described the controversy as “a chain of official contradictions, confessions, denials, and reversals,” which he said had exposed “dangerous fault lines within Nigeria’s national security architecture.”
The allegations followed the arrest of armed men by Nigerian soldiers in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. The suspects were intercepted while carrying AK-47 rifles and were reportedly operating a patrol vehicle allegedly linked to the Kwara State Government. The arrested men were said to have claimed that the arms and vehicle were provided by the state government.
Reacting to the development, Frank said officials of the Kwara State Government initially confirmed that the suspects were members of Miyetti Allah and were operating under a federal security arrangement coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“Barely days after initial denials, the Kwara State Government itself confirmed that the arrested individuals were part of a security operation linked to the NSA’s office,” Frank stated.
He added that the situation became more troubling after a statement from the NSA’s office reportedly acknowledged that arms had been issued to vigilantes under so-called “hybrid security operations,” in line with the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act.
“That admission was widely reported and not immediately disputed,” Frank said.
However, he criticized what he described as a “sudden and suspicious U-turn” by the NSA’s office, which later denied arming kidnappers, militias, or socio-cultural groups, insisting instead that the individuals involved were merely vigilantes known to the NSA.
According to Frank, the conflicting accounts have raised serious questions. “Who authorized the arms? Who recruited these armed men? Why did official accounts change repeatedly within days? Is the Kwara State Governor telling the truth, or is the NSA covering up?” he asked.
Describing the matter as a “national security scandal,” Frank said the inconsistencies could not be dismissed as media misinterpretation.
“You cannot, as National Security Adviser, first appear to justify or explain the issuance of arms and then turn around to deny it completely. Such contradictions suggest either gross incompetence or a deliberate cover-up,” he said.
Frank urged President Tinubu to immediately order an independent probe into the roles of the NSA and the Kwara State Government, investigate the conflicting statements from the NSA’s office, and ensure that any official found to have armed or enabled non-state actors outside the law is held accountable.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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