Atiku Faults Tinubu Over Kaduna Killings, Demands Security Overhaul
Fresh bloodshed in Southern Kaduna has reopened Nigeria’s bitter argument over worsening insecurity, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accusing the administration of President Bola Tinubu of prioritising foreign applause over the safety of citizens.
In a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), described the reported killing of scores of residents in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State as “heartbreaking and unacceptable.” Early reports put the toll at no fewer than 30 people following a midnight raid by gunmen.
“Every life lost is a painful indictment of a government that has repeatedly promised security but continues to preside over an expanding landscape of bloodshed,” the statement read.
The former Vice President said it was troubling that, even as families mourned, senior government officials were “criss-crossing television studios and social media platforms” to publicise what he called an unverified claim of a letter of commendation from the United States government. Drawing a contrast, he cited reports that Washington committed about 750,000 dollars to evacuate a single American citizen stranded on a remote Pacific island after possible exposure to hantavirus, describing it as the mark of governments that treat every citizen’s life as sacred.
“The people of Southern Kaduna, and indeed all Nigerians, do not need letters of praise from foreign capitals. They need security. They need to sleep without fear, travel without anxiety, cultivate their farms in peace and raise their children without the constant threat of terrorists, bandits and other violent criminals,” he said.
According to the statement, governance cannot be measured by “diplomatic soundbites or claimed commendations” but by the government’s ability to protect citizens, adding that until that duty is met, “every celebration of external praise rings hollow.” Atiku called for a comprehensive review of the country’s security architecture, demanding intelligence driven operations, swift justice for perpetrators and proactive measures rather than routine condemnations.
The Kauru attack extends a grim run in Kaduna and the wider North Central belt through 2026. On June 28, gunmen stormed Ungwan Atiku village in Kachia Local Government Area, killing one resident and abducting 11 others, including three nursing mothers and their babies. In March, wedding guests were killed and abducted at Kahir village in Kagarko Local Government Area, an assault President Tinubu personally condemned on March 31, when he directed security agencies to pursue the attackers and announced the acquisition of more sophisticated equipment to track criminals in real time.
That directive came days before a separate attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos, prompted Tinubu’s April 2 visit to Plateau State, where he assured grieving residents the experience would not recur. Critics, including Atiku and fellow ADC figure Peter Obi, argued that subsequent killings contradicted the pledge. In May, Atiku again blamed the administration after former House of Representatives member Abba Anas Adamu reportedly died in captivity along the Kaduna-Abuja corridor.
Atiku’s latest intervention also lands amid internal contestation over his record on the region. Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, recently questioned his commitment to Southern Kaduna, a charge Atiku’s camp rejected, noting that he attended a church thanksgiving service in Kagoro to identify with grieving families.
He extended condolences to the bereaved and prayed for the injured, while urging security agencies to apprehend those responsible and warning, as the country approaches another electoral season, that “the protection of innocent lives must never be sacrificed on the altar of politics.”
“History will not remember how many letters of commendation a government claimed to have received. It will remember whether it protected its people when they needed protection the most,” the statement concluded.