The Presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have engaged in a fierce war of words over Nigeria’s security situation, following a report detailing thousands of violent deaths across the country.
Atiku sparked the row in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, citing figures from geopolitical consultancy SBM Intelligence which recorded 5,091 violent deaths over a three-month period.
Describing President Bola Tinubu’s security record as “soaked in blood”, the opposition candidate argued that the casualty toll demonstrated a failure in the government’s primary constitutional obligation to protect lives and property.
Linking the security crisis directly to fiscal indiscipline, budget padding, and poor disbursement of funds to security agencies, Atiku asserted that recent military salary increases would not suffice without adequate equipment, timely operational funding, and proper troop welfare.
“5,091 reported killings in just three months should trouble the conscience of any government,” Atiku said, describing the figure as “5,091 reasons this government must go.”
In a swift rebuttal, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, dismissed the criticism, accusing the former Vice President of pursuing a “politics of despair” by intentionally ignoring the achievements of the Armed Forces.
Ajayi pointed out that official security reports over the same three-month period showed that troops, police, and DSS operatives had killed between 13,000 and 20,000 terrorists and rescued over 10,000 abducted citizens, including 308 hostages recently freed around Niger State. He questioned why Atiku overlooked these rescues and ongoing offensive operations against bandit logistics, accusing him of weaponising fear and despondency for political gain.
The aide dismissed Atiku’s conduct as unbecoming of a statesman and contended that his persistent criticisms were driven by desperation ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Ajayi projected that President Tinubu would secure a decisive victory in the upcoming polls as his administration continues to stabilise the polity and defeat insurgency, adding that voters would once again reject the former Vice President.