By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the killing of scores of people in Southern Kaduna, declaring that the attack is a reminder of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s failure to protect lives and property. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Monday, Atiku described the killings in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State as “heartbreaking and unacceptable”, insisting that “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 former Vice President said it was troubling that while Nigerians mourned yet another massacre, senior government officials had continued “criss-crossing television studios and social media platforms, brandishing what they describe as an unverified claim of a letter of commendation from the United States Government”. Drawing a contrast, Atiku noted that the United States government had recently committed about $750,000 to evacuate a single American citizen stranded on a remote Pacific island after a potential exposure to hantavirus, a gesture he said illustrated the difference between “governments that regard every citizen’s life as sacred and those that appear more concerned about international applause than the security of their own people”.
He said the people of Southern Kaduna and all Nigerians did not need letters of praise from foreign capitals but needed security, stressing that they should be able 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”. According to the statement, governance is not a public relations exercise and cannot be measured by diplomatic soundbites or claimed commendations but by the safety of citizens and the government’s ability to protect them from harm. It added that until that constitutional obligation is fulfilled, “every celebration of external praise rings hollow”.
Atiku called for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s security architecture, saying Nigerians deserved more than routine condemnations after every attack but rather intelligence-driven security operations, swift justice for perpetrators and proactive me…
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