Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to curb escalating violence in the North-Central, alleging that more than 10,000 people have been killed in the region within two years of his government.
In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku said the once-peaceful Kwara State has now become a hotspot for banditry and kidnappings, while Niger, Plateau, and Benue States continue to suffer from relentless attacks.
He cited recent incidents in Niger State, where militants reportedly stormed military bases, killed soldiers, and massacred worshippers in mosques. In Benue alone, he claimed, over half of the deaths recorded in the region since May 2023 have occurred.
Atiku criticised the government for “acting as though nothing is wrong” despite weekly reports of mass killings, describing the situation as a fundamental failure to protect lives and property.
The former presidential candidate also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of prioritising political battles over national security, alleging that the party uses “thugs, infiltrators, and hired hooligans” to disrupt opposition activities in Kaduna, Kebbi, and Ogun States. He added that security agencies have either looked the other way or blamed victims.
Quoting from his statement, Atiku said:
“The resurgence of killings in the North-Central shows clearly that the Tinubu administration has abandoned the region to bloodshed. Kwara, once safe, is now a hotspot of bandit and kidnap attacks. Niger State has seen militants attack military bases, murder soldiers, and even massacre worshippers in a mosque. Plateau and Benue continue to bury their dead while the Federal Government looks away.
By May this year, just two years of Tinubu’s rule, 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.
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.
Let it be clear: violence is a vicious circle that will eventually consume those who use it. Any politician who needs violence to win is desperate, unpopular, and dangerous to democracy.
We remind the Nigeria Police: you are funded by taxpayers, not by the APC. Your duty is to remain neutral, fair, and constitutional. Anything less is betrayal of public trust.”
Atiku urged security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police, to uphold neutrality and professionalism, warning that the continued politicisation of security would endanger Nigeria’s democracy.
