‘You Can’t Govern by Statements’ — Atiku Faults Tinubu Over Insecurity

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lashed out at President Bola Tinubu over the rising cases of killings and abductions in Nigeria, saying the government has failed to provide real leadership in the face of worsening insecurity.

Reacting to the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Ogbomoso and the killing of residents in Katsina State, including a pregnant woman, Atiku said the country was suffering from both a security and leadership crisis.

In a statement released through his aide on public communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku lamented the reported killing of one of the abducted teachers and accused the government of relying on repeated condemnation statements after every tragedy.

“At a time when armed criminals are abducting schoolchildren, slaughtering innocent citizens, and turning communities into graveyards, President Tinubu’s response remains the same tired ritual: condemn the killings, threaten that the perpetrators will face the ‘full wrath of the law,’ and then wait for the next massacre,” he said.

According to Atiku, Nigerians have become tired of official reactions that fail to stop recurring attacks.

“President Tinubu must stop governing by obituary statements.

“Enough of the recycled outrage. Enough of the empty threats. Nigerians are dying, and this government keeps responding with press releases,” the statement added.

The former vice president said the repeated attacks showed that criminals were operating freely because they no longer feared the authority of the Nigerian government.

He also raised concerns over reports alleging attempts to prevent images and evidence of the killings from reaching the public.

“No serious government hides the blood of its citizens to protect political optics.

“A government that cannot protect the living but seeks to censor evidence of their deaths has lost every moral right to govern,” he stated.

Atiku described the situation as “a moral failure, a leadership failure, and a national disgrace,” while calling for immediate rescue efforts for abducted victims and urgent reforms of Nigeria’s security architecture.