President Bola Tinubu has come under fire from former vice president Atiku Abubakar for Nigeria’s growing insecurity, claiming that the country is now characterised by the government’s continuous denunciations rather than practical measures.
Atiku made the comments in response to recent attacks and kidnappings in sections of the states of Oyo and Katsina, which resulted in the deaths of many persons and the kidnapping of others, including teachers and kids.
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said that the nationwide murders and kidnappings demonstrate what he called a failure of top-level leadership.
He claimed that the government’s reaction to recurring disasters had become cliched and ineffectual.
“The President’s response remains the same worn-out ritual: condemn the killings, threaten that the perpetrators will face the full wrath of the law, and then wait for the next massacre at a time when armed criminals are kidnapping schoolchildren, killing innocent citizens, and turning communities into graveyards,” he said.
Nigerians were growing weary of what he described as “recycled outrage,” Atiku continued. Statements made following each incident, in his opinion, lose their significance.
Too many Nigerians have heard this script. It is now completely worthless and excruciatingly predictable, he continued.
He also questioned what he called a pattern in which the administration doesn’t say anything until lives have been lost.
He continued, “A president who only speaks up after blood has been spilt is not leading; he is presiding over failure.”
The former vice president added that the deteriorating security situation indicates that criminal organisations are no longer afraid of the government and can now operate with confidence.
“The authority of the state has collapsed when terrorists can invade schools, kidnap children and teachers, kill pregnant women, and sack entire communities without consequence,” he declared.
Atiku warned that such acts would be detrimental to democracy and voiced alarm over reports that suggested attempts to censor or suppress photographs and information concerning violent situations.
He declared, “It is not just incompetence; it is cruelty of the highest order if this government is more interested in censoring evidence of mass killings than preventing them.”
He demanded immediate action to free victims who had been kidnapped, bolster security measures, and improve what he called the nation’s deteriorating security system.