Explosive Claim: Atiku Accuses Tinubu of 'Blood-Soaked' Scorecard Over 5,091 Deaths

Former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has vehemently criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, citing the reported killing of 5,091 Nigerians in violent incidents over a period of just three months as a damning indictment of the government's performance. In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku underscored that these figures represent a grim assessment of the administration's fundamental responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens.

Atiku emphasized that these reported deaths are far more than mere statistics; each figure signifies a Nigerian whose life was tragically cut short, leaving behind a family in mourning and communities plagued by fear. He stated, “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.”

The former vice president directly linked the escalating insecurity across the nation to what he described as the Tinubu administration’s fiscal indiscipline, wasteful expenditure, and inadequate implementation of budgetary appropriations. He argued that a lack of proper funding and misplaced government priorities are severely undermining the effectiveness of the Armed Forces and other security agencies in their crucial fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.

“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,” Atiku asserted. He further criticized the government’s approach to public treasury management, stating, “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.”

Atiku also highlighted what he perceives as the government's consistent treatment of budgetary allocations as an inconvenience. He contended that diverting public resources to what he labeled as wasteful and politically expedient projects directly weakens national security and hampers the capacity of the Armed Forces and other security agencies to respond decisively to threats. While welcoming the recently announced increase in military personnel salaries, Atiku maintained that improved remuneration alone is insufficient to address the deep-seated challenges faced by troops on the frontline. He stressed the necessity for adequate equipment, operational funding, timely allowances, and improved welfare for soldiers and their families.

Concluding his critique, Atiku urged the federal government to drastically reduce wasteful spending, eliminate questionable expenditures, and significantly improve the implementation of appropriated funds, especially within the defence and security sectors. He reiterated that the protection of lives and property is the most fundamental responsibility of any government, declaring that “A government that cannot protect its citizens has failed the first test of governance. 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.” He defined every death resulting from violent crimes as a profound failure of the Nigerian state, asserting that these individuals were citizens with every right to expect protection from their government. Atiku concluded by stating that the reported death toll serves as a clear measure of the government's failure to protect Nigerians, ultimately implying a need for change.