Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the reported killing of 5,091 Nigerians in violent incidents across the country within three months as a damning indictment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Atiku, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the figure exposed what he described as the government’s failure to fulfil its fundamental responsibility of protecting lives and property.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reported death toll was more than a statistic, arguing that it represented the human cost of Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
“Behind every number is a Nigerian whose life was cut short, a family thrown into mourning, children deprived of parents and communities condemned to fear.
“Five thousand and ninety-one reported killings in just three months should trouble the conscience of any government,” he said.
Atiku linked the worsening security situation to what he described as fiscal indiscipline, wasteful public expenditure and poor implementation of budgetary allocations for critical national priorities.
“These figures are the human cost of every padded budget, every frivolous expenditure and every failure to fully implement funds appropriated for critical national priorities,” he said.
“You cannot run the public treasury as though it were a private purse, squander scarce resources on questionable priorities and then expect soldiers and other security personnel on the frontlines to perform miracles.”
The former vice president alleged that the government’s spending priorities were undermining the country’s ability to effectively confront terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“The continued pattern of treating fiscal appropriation as an inconvenience while public resources are diverted to wasteful and politically expedient projects undermines national security and impedes the capacity of our Armed Forces and other security agencies to respond decisively to threats,” he said.
Atiku, however, welcomed the recently announced salary increase for military personnel, describing improved remuneration as necessary but insufficient to address the challenges confronting troops on the frontline.
“Our soldiers deserve better pay, but morale is about much more than salaries. They require adequate equipment, operational funding, timely allowances, proper welfare for their families and the assurance that the government they defend is as committed to their mission as they are,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to improve the implementation of defence and security budgets, cut what he described as wasteful expenditure and redirect resources towards strengthening the military and other security agencies.
According to Atiku, Nigerians deserve a government that places the protection of lives above political considerations and ensures that funds appropriated for security are effectively deployed.
“A government that cannot protect its citizens has failed the first test of governance,” he said.
“Nigerians cannot continue to pay with their lives for the failures, waste and misplaced priorities of an administration that has failed in its most basic constitutional duty.”
Atiku said victims of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes should not be reduced to statistics, noting that they were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, breadwinners and citizens who had a right to expect protection from the state.
He ended his statement with a direct political challenge to the Tinubu administration, saying the reported death toll amounted to a verdict on its security record.
“Today, we have 5,091 reported killings in just three months, 5,091 shattered families, 5,091 indictments of this administration’s security failures, and ultimately, 5,091 reasons this government must go,” he said.
Government response
The Tinubu administration has repeatedly highlighted ongoing military and security operations against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal groups, as well as the rescue of abducted victims.
The government has also announced measures aimed at improving the welfare and operational capacity of security personnel, including enhanced remuneration for military personnel.
Despite these measures, attacks, killings and kidnappings continue to fuel public concern over the country’s security situation, with opposition parties and other critics frequently questioning the effectiveness of the government’s strategy.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not publicly responded to Atiku’s latest statement or addressed his claim concerning the reported 5,091 deaths.
The source and methodology behind the three-month death toll cited by Atiku were also not detailed in the statement.
The comments are likely to further intensify the political debate over insecurity, public spending and governance as political parties and presidential aspirants position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.