‘Tinubu’s Scorecard Is Soaked In Blood,’ Atiku Says As 5,091 Nigerians Die In Three Months

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Sunday delivered a blistering verdict on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, declaring that the reported killing of 5,091 Nigerians in violent incidents across the country within three months shows that the government has failed in its most fundamental constitutional duty of protecting lives and property.

The 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the staggering death toll paints a grim picture of a nation increasingly overwhelmed by insecurity and of an administration that has failed to respond with the urgency, discipline and resources demanded by the crisis.

Atiku said the figures should not be treated as mere statistics, stressing that each reported death represents a Nigerian life lost to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping or other violent crimes.

“Behind every number is a Nigerian whose life was cut short, a family thrown into mourning, children deprived of parents and communities condemned to fear.

“Five thousand and ninety-one reported killings in just three months should trouble the conscience of any government,” Atiku said.

He cautioned against reducing the figures to mere statistics, arguing that every reported death reflects a Nigerian life lost to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping or other violent crimes, while families are left devastated and communities forced to live in fear.

Atiku linked the worsening security situation to what he described as fiscal indiscipline, wasteful public expenditure and poor implementation of budgetary allocations meant for critical national priorities.

“These figures are the human cost of every padded budget, every frivolous expenditure and every failure to fully implement funds appropriated for critical national priorities,” he said.

“You cannot run the public treasury as though it were a private purse, squander scarce resources on questionable priorities and then expect soldiers and other security personnel on the frontlines to perform miracles.”

He described the reported killings as the tragic consequence of what he called bloated budgets, wasteful spending and the failure to fully implement funds appropriated for critical national needs.

“The continued pattern of treating fiscal appropriation as an inconvenience while public resources are diverted to wasteful and politically expedient projects undermines national security and impedes the capacity of our Armed Forces and other security agencies to respond decisively to threats,” he stated.

The former vice president further alleged that the government’s emphasis on projects he considers politically convenient, while security agencies struggle with inadequate funding, has weakened the country’s ability to confront terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent threats.

He argued that when budgetary appropriations are treated casually, and public funds are channelled into what he termed wasteful and politically motivated projects, the nation’s security architecture is inevitably undermined and the capacity of the armed forces and other security agencies is diminished.

Atiku welcomed the recent salary increase approved for military personnel, describing it as a step in the right direction, but insisted that improved pay alone cannot rebuild the morale of troops fighting insecurity across the country.

“Our soldiers deserve better pay, but morale is about much more than salaries. They require adequate equipment, operational funding, timely allowances, proper welfare for their families and the assurance that the government they defend is as committed to their mission as they are,” Atiku said.

He urged the federal government to ensure more effective implementation of defence and security budgets and to eliminate expenditures that do not directly advance the nation’s security priorities.

According to him, Nigerians deserve a government that prioritises security over politics and ensures that appropriated funds are fully deployed to strengthen the armed forces and other security agencies.

Atiku maintained that any government that fails to guarantee the safety of its citizens has fallen short of the most basic obligation of governance, adding that Nigerians should not continue to lose their lives because of what he described as policy failures, waste and misplaced priorities.

According to him, every Nigerian killed by terrorism, banditry, kidnapping or other violent crimes represents a failure of the state, noting that the victims were not statistics but fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, breadwinners and citizens entitled to protection.

Atiku ended with a direct political challenge to the Tinubu administration, declaring that the reported killings amount to a damning verdict on the government’s security record.

“Today, we have 5,091 reported killings in just three months, 5,091 shattered families, 5,091 indictments of this administration’s security failures, and ultimately, 5,091 reasons this government must go,” he said.

The Tinubu administration has repeatedly highlighted what it describes as a renewed offensive against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, often pointing to successful rescue operations carried out by security agencies on the president’s directive.

However, many Nigerians have continued to question why such killings and abductions persist despite the reported operations.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not issued any official response to Atiku’s statement.

Government officials had also not commented on the former vice president’s claims about the reported death toll or his criticism of the administration’s handling of insecurity.

Observers say it remains to be seen whether the government will dismiss the remarks as part of Atiku’s 2027 political campaign or address the substance of the allegations.

The statement, signed by Phrank Shaibu and dated August 9, 2026, is expected to further intensify political debate over insecurity and governance ahead of the 2027 general elections.