ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on President Bola Tinubu’s handling of insecurity after former House of Representatives member, Abba Adamu, reportedly died in the custody of kidnappers.
Adamu was said to have been kidnapped by bandits on May 3 along the notorious Abuja-Kaduna highway, a route that has repeatedly witnessed deadly attacks and abductions over the years.
Despite efforts by his family to secure his freedom, the former lawmaker was said to have died after spending nine days in captivity.
Reacting through a statement issued in Abuja by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the incident as another painful sign that insecurity was spiralling beyond control across the country.
The former presidential candidate said the death of the ex-lawmaker exposed what he called the Federal Government’s inability to adequately protect Nigerians, stressing that citizens now live in fear while criminals continue to operate freely.
According to him, the latest tragedy showed that the nation was gradually sinking deeper into a dangerous security crisis.
“Adamu’s death is yet another grim reminder of the worsening collapse of security under the Tinubu administration,” he stated.
“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.”
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Atiku argued that if a former member of the National Assembly could be abducted on one of the country’s busiest highways and still die in captivity, ordinary Nigerians had become even more vulnerable.
“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 opposition figure lamented that kidnappings and violent attacks had become a recurring reality in many parts of the country, with residents no longer feeling safe on highways, in their communities or even inside their homes.
He accused the government of failing to match its public assurances with visible action capable of ending the growing wave of insecurity.
“This is no longer about isolated incidents. It is now a horrifying pattern,” Atiku said.
“Nigerians are being kidnapped from highways, farms, communities, even their homes, while the government continues to issue sterile statements and recycled assurances that bear no resemblance to the lived reality of our people.”
The Waziri Adamawa further stated that insecurity had evolved into what he called “a cruel national routine,” adding that fear had continued to disrupt businesses, farming activities and interstate movement.
He also criticised the continued attacks around the Abuja-Kaduna corridor despite repeated promises by security agencies and huge spending on security operations.
“A government that cannot secure its highways cannot claim to govern,” he added.
“A government that watches citizens get hunted like prey has failed the most elementary test of leadership.”
The former Vice President questioned the effectiveness of the current administration’s security strategy and demanded urgent accountability from those in charge.
“Nigerians deserve answers. What exactly is the security strategy of this administration? Where is the urgency? Where is the accountability? How many more deaths must be recorded before this government realises that press releases do not defeat bandits?” he queried.
Atiku also said political rhetoric would not erase the growing frustration among Nigerians, insisting that citizens were demanding concrete results rather than repeated promises.
“No amount of political spin can deodorise this failure. A nation where former lawmakers die in captivity while criminals operate with audacity is a nation in distress,” he said.
“At this point, what Nigerians need is not another hollow condolence message. They need decisive leadership, coherent action, and measurable results.”
He, however, condoled with the family of the deceased, the people of Jigawa State and other Nigerians affected by insecurity, while urging the Federal Government to immediately treat the country’s worsening security situation as a national emergency.