The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Defence Minister Christopher Musa and other senior government officials to travel by road without armed security escorts if the administration is confident that insecurity has significantly improved across Nigeria.
The opposition party issued the challenge in Abuja while reacting to recent comments by the Defence Minister on the country’s security situation.
APM argued that the government’s claims of major improvements in security should be measured against the experiences of ordinary Nigerians who travel without official security protection.
Party Questions Government’s Security Assessment
The challenge followed comments attributed to Musa in which he said the Federal Government had made significant progress against terrorists and that kidnapping was increasingly becoming more of a social problem.
APM disputed the assessment and argued that Nigerians continue to face serious security threats in different parts of the country.
The party said government officials who regularly travel with armed security details do not experience road travel in the same way as ordinary citizens.
‘Travel Without Escorts’
APM therefore challenged Tinubu, Musa and other senior officials to undertake road journeys without armed escorts.
The party said such a move would provide a practical test of the government’s assertion that the country’s security situation has improved.
The challenge is political in nature and does not establish that the government’s security assessment is false.
Security Claims Under Political Scrutiny
The security situation has remained one of the most contentious issues in Nigeria.
While government officials have highlighted military operations, arrests and rescues as evidence of progress, opposition parties continue to point to incidents of kidnapping, terrorism and attacks as evidence that major challenges remain.
Recent reports have also highlighted the continuing scale of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis.
2027 Campaign Debate
With the 2027 elections approaching, security is expected to become an increasingly important campaign issue.
The Tinubu administration will be seeking to demonstrate that its security strategy is producing measurable results, while opposition parties are likely to use continuing attacks and insecurity to challenge the government’s record.
APM’s latest statement therefore adds another layer to the growing political debate over whether Nigeria is genuinely becoming safer under the current administration.