Senator Orji Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, has attributed the recent spate of killings and abductions in Nigeria to political motivations. He said the violent attacks targeting various parts of the country were orchestrated by politicians aiming to destabilise the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Kalu claimed that the sponsors of these attacks intend to make Tinubu fail in the same manner as former President Goodluck Jonathan. He did not, however, disclose the identities of the alleged sponsors.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Kalu described the incidents as a recurring pattern associated with election periods. He said, “What we are seeing is always a routine, something that goes with the elections, and when you have an election, people will try to pressure the government in power for all kinds of things to start happening. And you can remember when President Jonathan was here, a similar thing happened. They put a lot of pressure on the President. And the terrorists and the bandits are orchestrated by some members of the international community and local people who really want to destabilise the government.”
Kalu further emphasized that the recent wave of attacks is part of political manoeuvring during elections, saying, “And the terrorists and the bandits are orchestrated by some members of the international community and local people who really want to destabilise the government.” Despite the challenges, the senator affirmed that President Tinubu has demonstrated capability in managing the security situation.
“But I’m sure you can see that President Tinubu is equal to the task; for the first time, you see the president cancelling all his engagements. Today is Sunday, and he faced security challenges. He faced everything about security,” Kalu stated. He added that the abducted girls would be recovered, noting that “the government is making every effort to make sure these people are recovered, and it’s because of a few announcements internationally and locally, talking about Nigeria’s insecurity. I’m sure it’s not the best of times for us. It’s not a very good time for Nigerian people and Nigerian citizens. Our service chiefs, our security operatives have gone fully on duty to see what they can do.”
The former governor also linked the increase in attacks to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump concerning killings in Nigeria. Kalu asserted that the intelligence community is aware of those responsible. He said, “For the past few months, we have been quiet on President [Donald] Trump talks about people being killed in Nigeria, and you can see people talk about the 2027 election this and that, and you can see these are all about politics, but we’re equal to the task. The Federal Government will move to challenge these people. These people are partially missionaries bought by politicians. These people are people bought by individuals. These people are people centred to destabilise the President who is ready to fight for our economy, that is ready to revamp the economy that’s been trying his best to see what he can do.”
On whether President Tinubu was aware of the situation, Kalu said, “The President is the president of Nigeria, and the president of Nigeria has a lot of information around him.” He added that Tinubu has been losing sleep over the security challenges facing the nation but praised the President’s decision to withdraw police officers attached to VIPs, describing it as a prudent measure.
Kalu also said that international collaboration, particularly with the United States, would be beneficial for addressing insecurity in Nigeria. “We need to work together with the United States of America. We need that partnership,” he stated.
The senator’s comments come amid a series of violent incidents across Nigeria. Gunmen kidnapped 25 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, resulting in the death of the vice principal. Over 300 schoolchildren were also abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, although 50 of them managed to escape. Additionally, gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke-Isegun in Eruku, Kwara State, killing three people and abducting 38 worshippers, all of whom have since been released, according to the Kwara State Government.
