The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised a serious alarm over the attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, warning that the Federal Government’s response to the country’s worsening security crisis is giving life to what many previously dismissed as a “Christian genocide” narrative.
The party said the repeated killings and kidnappings targeting worship centres are no longer isolated cases but signs of a deepening national emergency.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the attack — which left worshippers dead and several others, including the pastor, abducted — shows how fearless criminal groups have become.
The party accused the Tinubu administration of responding to nationwide insecurity with denial rather than decisive action.
According to Abdullahi, the Eruku incident is another grim reminder that Nigerians now live in fear across all regions.
He said the tragedy came barely hours after gunmen killed school officials and kidnapped students in Kebbi State, a development he described as part of a worrying pattern of violent crimes spreading across the country.
“This tragedy is another painful reminder of the pervasive insecurity that has taken roots across the country,” the ADC stated.
The party warned that the frequency and boldness of recent attacks indicate that criminal groups now operate freely without fear of consequences.
Abdullahi said the Eruku church invasion suggests that the government has lost control, leaving citizens at the mercy of armed gangs.
“This particularly brutal attack and abduction gives the impression that this government has lost control and Nigerians now live at the mercy of gunmen who are now emboldened by government’s failure to act decisively,” he said.
The ADC also expressed worry that the once-dismissed “Christian genocide” narrative is becoming harder to ignore because the government has refused to confront the situation with sincerity. It faulted the Federal Government for downplaying religiously targeted killings and ignoring early warnings.
“The Christian genocide narrative, which we dismissed when it was first proposed, is gradually becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy due to the failure of the government to conduct an honest appraisal of the problem,” the party warned.
The ADC further criticised a recent comment credited to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who reportedly claimed that only 177 Christians had been killed in the last five years.
Abdullahi described the statement as insensitive and disconnected from the daily realities of Nigerians facing violence.
“We find this statement unfortunate and offensive. And if it reflects the thinking within the Federal Government, such a statement would explain why this government has failed to address the problem and why they cannot be trusted to solve it,” he said.
The party added that reducing human lives to statistics trivialises the pain of victims and their families, especially when the killings happen in sacred spaces. It pointed to a video from the Eruku attack showing an elderly woman shot dead during prayers, stressing that even one life lost is too many.
“Deaths cannot be reduced to numbers. It does not matter how many people have been killed or what religion or language they speak. As seen in the video on Eruku church attack, one poor old woman, cut down by bullets while she prays is enough,” the statement added.
The ADC accused the Federal Government of offering excuses instead of solutions and warned that public confidence in national leadership is rapidly declining.
“Under this Tinubu administration, Nigeria is fast turning to a killing field, and the President does not appear to recognise that his most important job is to protect life,” it said.
The party called for urgent action to secure communities, protect worship centres, and restore public trust, insisting that Nigerians cannot continue living under constant fear.
“Nigeria is bleeding, communities are grieving, families are being destroyed, and the government continues to respond with excuses, denial, and dangerous rhetoric,” it warned.
The ADC urged the Federal Government to take immediate steps to tackle the escalating violence and prioritise the protection of citizens.
“Nigerians deserve protection, not platitudes. Our houses of worship must be safe, our communities must be safe, our country must be safe,” it declared.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.