September 02, (THEWILL) — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government of abandoning the North-Central in the face of resurgence of insecurity in the region and chasing political opposition leaders.
Lamenting the resurgence of killings in the North and particularly the North-Central, Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday, alleged that over 10,000 lives had been lost in northern states, with Benue accounting for more than half just two years of the Tinubu’s administration.
The statement read: “The resurgence of killings in the North-Central shows clearly that the Tinubu administration has abandoned the region to bloodshed. Kwara, once safe, is now a hotspot of bandit and kidnap attacks. Niger State has seen militants attack military bases, murder soldiers, and even massacre worshippers in a mosque. Plateau and Benue continue to bury their dead while the Federal Government looks away.
“By May this year, just two years of Tinubu’s rule, over 10,000 lives had been lost in Northern states, with Benue accounting for more than half. Since then, mass killings continue weekly, while the government pretends nothing is wrong. This is a monumental failure in the basic duty of securing lives and property.
“Instead of fighting insecurity, the ruling APC is fighting the opposition using thugs, infiltrators, and hired hooligans to break up political meetings in Kaduna, Kebbi, and Ogun. In each case, security forces failed to act and even blamed the victims. The silence of the APC leadership is proof of complicity.
“Let it be clear: violence is a vicious circle that will eventually consume those who use it. Any politician who needs violence to win is desperate, unpopular, and dangerous to democracy.
“We remind the Nigeria Police: you are funded by taxpayers, not by the APC. Your duty is to remain neutral, fair, and constitutional. Anything less is betrayal of public trust.”
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