Comrade Timi Frank, a political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to launch an independent investigation into allegations against National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq for reportedly arming Fulani bandits and non-state actors.

In a statement, Frank described the situation as a “chain of contradictions” that reveals serious flaws in Nigeria’s national security. He highlighted conflicting accounts regarding arms in Kwara, suggesting a cover-up. The controversy began when Nigerian soldiers intercepted armed men in a vehicle tied to the Kwara State Government.

The men claimed to have received arms and the vehicle from the government. Frank noted that state officials later confirmed they were members of Miyetti Allah, allegedly operating under a federal security arrangement tied to 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,” he said.

Frank raised concerns over a troubling development involving the NSA’s office, which initially admitted to providing arms to vigilantes under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act. He criticized their later denial of arming kidnappers and militias, claiming the armed individuals were “vigilantes known to the NSA.”

“This leaves Nigerians with fundamental questions,” Frank said. “Who authorised 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 labelled the situation a “national security scandal,” stating that the contradictions indicated that government officials were manipulating Nigeria’s insecurity for political gain. Frank also argued that in a reasonable country, the NSA, Ribadu, would have stepped down for a transparent investigation instead of resorting to “evasions and damage control

“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 to protect powerful interests,” he said.

“What business do armed Miyetti Allah operatives have operating in Yorubaland under any circumstance?” he asked, noting that communities in the state had repeatedly warned that deploying armed migrant herders would worsen insecurity rather than resolve it.

He urged President Tinubu to initiate a full, independent probe into the NSA’s and Kwara State Government’s roles and hold accountable any officials who armed non-state actors. He warned that these contradictions suggested that someone was lying or hiding the truth, which amounted to internal sabotage of the administration. (The Guardian)

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