Roy Ofori African Heritage Global Affairs Editor
The recent comment by the anchor of DBS Morning Ride 18th Nov. edition on the state of the nation about how difficult it is to track Hon. Gbandi is not an exaggeration. From political meetings in Nigeria to Diaspora engagements both physical and virtual. But finally, the Africa Heritage Global Affairs Editor caught up with him to seek his reactions to escalating international concerns about the fate of Christians in Nigeria and the government’s failure to offer protection, just as a double tragedy struck, this time inside a church in Kwara State and a school in Maga in the Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
In a sober reaction, Hon. Kenneth Gbandi, a leading Diaspora figure and senior ADC-DN leader, expressed deep heartbreak following the horrifying livestream attack at the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku Town and the attack in Maga in the Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The incident in the CAC, which quickly went viral, showed worshippers running for their lives as armed terrorists invaded a church service in broad daylight. For Hon. Gbandi, one of the most painful scenes was watching elderly women struggling to walk to safety, a moment he described as enough to “melt the heart of any human being.” He noted that one of them could easily have been his own late mother, who, even at age 87, never missed church services. Imagining that her only ‘offence’ would have been going to worship, made the scene even more painful, as those elderly women found themselves fleeing bullets in a house of prayer.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Hon. Gbandi said the incident clearly demonstrates Nigeria’s steadily worsening security collapse, exposing the country before the international community at a time when the United States has issued serious concerns about Nigeria’s stability, even hinting at possible intervention should conditions deteriorate further. For someone who has long played the role of Nigeria’s civil ambassador across the Diaspora, Gbandi admitted that defending Nigeria’s security image has become incredibly difficult. “How can one debunk U.S. allegations or dismiss them as propaganda,” he asked, “when the world is watching these attacks unfold live unchallenged and unchecked?”
His reaction carries significant weight because it aligns with his long-standing and well-documented advocacy for fundamental security reform. He has been one of the country’s strongest Diaspora champions of state police, insisting that centralized policing has failed to address Nigeria’s complex and diverse security threats. He has repeatedly argued during his senatorial campaign that no nation of Nigeria’s size and diversity can rely solely on one command structure to maintain internal security. According to him, empowering states to establish their own police forces would strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance rapid response, and give communities a sense of ownership over their security.
The attack in Eruku Town, Kwara State, and the attack on the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) Maga in the Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State where bandits killed the Vice Principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and abducted 25 students on Monday morning, makes the argument for state police beyond all reasonable doubt. It is a clear testimony of epic insecurity across the country under the current APC government, both at national and state levels. These criminals choose soft targets, places of worship and learning and such acts can only be prevented through intensive local intelligence gathering.
Beyond state police, Hon. Gbandi has consistently advocated for a comprehensive security sector overhaul, warning for years that Nigeria’s current architecture is outdated and overstretched. He has pushed for better coordination among security agencies, modern training standards, improved welfare for personnel, deployment of advanced surveillance technologies, and the integration of Diaspora expertise in strategic planning. His positions have been documented in numerous commentaries and Diaspora security forums, where he stressed that Nigeria must adopt modern, proactive, technology-driven security systems instead of relying on reactive force.
Reacting further to the Eruku attack, he noted that what Nigerians are experiencing today is not random insecurity but a deep structural breakdown that requires bold political action. He observed that worshippers running for their lives during a Sunday service and the global broadcast of their fear is a direct indictment of leadership failure at the highest level. “The supreme task of any Commander-in-Chief is to protect lives and property and safeguard the sovereignty of the nation,” he said. “This government is failing miserably in that sacred duty.”
Hon. Gbandi warned that continually dismissing international alerts, especially from countries with advanced intelligence capabilities, is dangerous and irresponsible. Nigeria’s credibility, he said, is eroding rapidly not because of foreign propaganda but because the reality on the ground is validating every concern being raised. If the government continues to ignore these warnings, he believes the country risks deeper instability that could undermine both national sovereignty and public trust.
He called for an urgent, national consensus to implement sweeping reforms: constitutional reforms, the adoption of state police, strengthening of local intelligence, modernization of security infrastructure, improved welfare for security personnel, and the strategic use of Diaspora expertise to rebuild confidence. “The Eruku attack,” he said, “should not just shock the nation; it should wake it up. We either reform now, or we continue to livestream our national vulnerabilities to the world.”
Hon. (Dr.) Kenneth Gbandi is the longest-serving Diaspora leader, holds a Master’s degree in Peace Research & Conflict Mediation from the University of Hamburg, and is currently the Chairman of ADC-DN.
