Yemi Obafemi
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the resurgence of killings in Nigeria’s North-Central, accusing the Tinubu administration of neglecting its duty to protect lives and property while violence escalates across the region.
In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku said Kwara State, once considered relatively safe, has now become a hotspot for banditry and kidnappings, while Niger State has witnessed militant attacks on military bases, the killing of soldiers, and even the massacre of worshippers in a mosque.
He added that Plateau and Benue states continue to “bury their dead while the Federal Government looks away.”
“At the end of just two years of Tinubu’s rule by May this year, over 10,000 lives had been lost in Northern states, with Benue accounting for more than half. Since then, mass killings continue weekly, while the government pretends nothing is wrong. This is a monumental failure in the basic duty of securing lives and property,” Atiku stated.
He accused the administration for allegedly using thugs to disrupt opposition meetings in Kaduna, Kebbi, and Ogun states.
Atiku faulted security agencies for inaction and the APC leadership for what he described as “complicity through silence.”
“Instead of fighting insecurity, the ruling APC is fighting the opposition using thugs, infiltrators, and hired hooligans to break up political meetings in Kaduna, Kebbi, and Ogun. In each case, security forces failed to act and even blamed the victims. The silence of the APC leadership is proof of complicity,” he said.
He warned that violence would eventually consume those who employ it for political gain, describing such leaders as “desperate, unpopular, and dangerous to democracy.”
Atiku also criticized security agencies for alleged partisanship, urging the Nigeria Police to remain neutral and serve all citizens rather than act in favor of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Anything less is betrayal of public trust,” he said.
