By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s Senate President Godswill Akpabio has claimed that the country’s worsening insecurity is being orchestrated by “enemies of Nigeria”, accusing unnamed actors of deliberately destabilising the nation.
Speaking on Tuesday during a Senate session in Abuja, Akpabio said recent attacks and violent incidents across parts of the country were not random but part of a coordinated effort to undermine national unity and public confidence in the government.
“What we are witnessing is not ordinary criminality alone,” Akpabio told lawmakers. “There are enemies of this country who are sponsoring and orchestrating insecurity to weaken Nigeria and distract it from development.”
The Senate president did not name those he described as enemies, but suggested that both internal and external forces could be involved. He urged security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering and called for stronger cooperation between federal and state authorities to confront the threat.
Nigeria has faced persistent security challenges in recent years, including armed banditry in the northwest, separatist violence in the southeast, and attacks by armed groups in parts of the Middle Belt. Thousands have been killed and displaced, while communities continue to grapple with fear and economic disruption.
Akpabio said lawmakers must resist what he described as attempts to politicise insecurity, stressing that national unity was essential to overcoming the crisis. He also called on Nigerians to support the armed forces and security agencies, whom he said were making sacrifices under difficult conditions.
Opposition figures and civil society groups have repeatedly urged the government to move beyond rhetoric and deliver concrete improvements in security, accountability and governance. Critics argue that framing insecurity as the work of shadowy “enemies” risks deflecting attention from policy failures and structural weaknesses.
The federal government has yet to formally respond to Akpabio’s remarks, but officials have previously maintained that security remains a top priority, with increased funding and operations aimed at restoring stability across the country.
