Former Presidential Candidate Adewole Adebayo Calls for "Community-Focused" Security Overhaul Following Plateau Attacks

Former SDP candidate Adewole Adebayo visits Plateau attack victims, calling for a new security policy that integrates local intelligence to protect "mini-Nigeria."

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 6, 2026, 11:27 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Peoples Gazette

A Call for Responsive Governance

During a condolence visit to the Angwan Rukuba community on Monday, Adewole Adebayo, a former presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), criticized the current administration's security response. Addressing families displaced by recent violence, Adebayo characterized the victims as "sacrificial lambs" and emphasized that such tragedies should serve as a catalyst for the government to demonstrate empathy and proactive leadership. He argued that while "divine justice" remains constant, the state has a constitutional obligation to protect its citizens from criminal elements disrupting communal harmony.

The Strategy: Intelligence and Integration

Adebayo proposed a shift in Nigeria’s security architecture, moving away from centralized, reactive policing toward a community-focused policy. He called for the Federal Government to strengthen law enforcement by providing necessary logistics and merging formal security forces with local communities to create a "composite security network." By leveraging local intelligence and community cooperation, Adebayo believes the government can track down perpetrators more effectively and prevent the "craftiness of the devil" from recurring in the Middle Belt, which he described as the "glue holding Nigeria together."

Local Leadership Decries Security Vacuum

The District Head of Angwan Rukuba, Haruna Bala, provided a grim account of the attacks, noting that criminals operated freely without any resistance from law enforcement. "There were no police around for any emergency," Bala stated, describing the community’s sadness over the lack of a government shield. He made a direct appeal to the Inspector General of Police to upgrade local police outposts into standard stations equipped with adequate manpower and modern equipment to deter future incursions.