Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has blamed the death of former House of Representatives member Abba Adamu in kidnappers’ custody on President Bola Tinubu’s failure to tackle worsening insecurity in the country.
He made his feelings known recently in a statement released in Abuja by his aide, Phrank Shaibu.
Adamu, who represented the Guri, Kiri-Kasamma, and Birniwa Federal Constituency in Jigawa State from 2007 to 2011, was kidnapped on 3 May along the Kaduna-Abuja highway while travelling from Kano to Abuja for a political meeting.
He reportedly lost his life after spending nine days in captivity, despite efforts by his family to secure his freedom.
Reacting to the development, Atiku said the incident illustrated how insecurity has continued to deteriorate across Nigeria under the current administration.
“Adamu’s death is yet another grim reminder of the worsening collapse of security under the Tinubu administration,” Atiku stated.
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He went on to say that the country is under siege and that the incumbent administration is either overwhelmed or too incompetent to tackle the crisis.
“Let us be brutally honest: Nigeria is under siege, and this administration appears either overwhelmed, indifferent, or dangerously incompetent in the face of this national emergency,” the former VP added.
Atiku also questioned what chance ordinary Nigerians have when trapped in such a situation, given that a former lawmaker could be kidnapped on a major highway and die in captivity.
“When a former member of the National Assembly can be abducted on one of the country’s most strategic highways and die in captivity, what hope remains for the ordinary Nigerian who lacks visibility, influence, or protection?” he asked.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain further noted that kidnappings and attacks have become commonplace across the country, with citizens no longer feeling safe on the roads, in their homes, or even on their farms.
“This is no longer about isolated incidents. It is now a horrifying pattern,” he stated.
Atiku also criticised the continued insecurity along the Abuja-Kaduna road despite repeated promises from security agencies and significant spending on the sector.
“A government that cannot secure its highways cannot claim to govern. A government that watches citizens get hunted like prey has failed the most elementary test of leadership,” he said.
He queried the Federal Government’s security strategy and demanded accountability, insisting that Nigerians are tired of condolence messages in place of real action aimed at addressing insecurity.