Nigeria's leaders link insecurity to political rivals while unveiling South‑East development plan

Senate President Godswill Akpabio said on June 13 in Abuja that opponents of President Bola Tinubu are financing insecurity across Nigeria to damage the country's democracy. He made the remarks at a ceremony honoring former head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar. Akpabio highlighted ongoing attacks by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, noting Amnesty International reported over 10,200 deaths in the first two years of Tinubu’s administration and SBM Intelligence recorded 4,722 kidnappings with ransom payments exceeding 2.57 billion naira.

Earlier, President Tinubu’s 2024 budget presentation to the National Assembly emphasized human‑asset development, poverty reduction and combating insecurity. At the launch of the South‑East Development Commission’s “South‑East Vision 2050” in Enugu, Vice‑President Kashim Shettima and Governor Chukwuma Soludo underscored the commission’s mandate to manage federal funds for post‑civil‑war reconstruction and to address what Soludo described as a second internal conflict since 2021. The SEDC aims to rebuild infrastructure and support livelihoods in the six‑state south‑east region.