The Presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have traded accusations over the reported killing of 5,091 Nigerians in violent incidents over a three-month period.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, described the figure as an indictment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and accused the government of failing in its constitutional duty to protect lives and property.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reported deaths reflected the worsening security situation in the country.
He also blamed what he described as fiscal indiscipline, wasteful spending and poor implementation of security budgets for the challenges facing the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
Responding, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, dismissed Atiku’s criticism as an attempt to create fear and portray the government negatively.
Ajayi said security agencies had killed between 13,000 and 20,000 terrorists and rescued more than 10,000 Nigerians from kidnappers, bandits and insurgents within the same period.
He cited the recent rescue of 308 Nigerians abducted in Kwara and Niger states as evidence of ongoing security operations.
The presidential aide also said the government was making progress in the fight against insecurity, adding that the military, police and Department of State Services had continued to arrest terrorists and disrupt their networks.
The police also disputed Atiku’s assessment of the security situation.
Force spokesperson, Ani Iniedu, said available security intelligence indicated that violent crime had drastically reduced in the past six months.
The Presidency also highlighted the rescue of the Oriire schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State after 56 days in captivity, as part of recent security successes.
The renewed exchange comes as Atiku prepares to contest the 2027 presidential election under the ADC, with security and economic performance expected to remain major issues in the campaign.
The National Youth Service Corps has disowned a viral notice claiming that a special window for corps members’ redeployment is currently open. The NYSC, in a disclaimer posted on its verified X handle on Friday, described the notice as fake news and warned corps members and the public against acting on it. The fraudulent notice, titled “Urgent Notice: NYSC Redeployment,” claimed that a redeployment window had been opened due to […]
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