Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the escalating security crisis in Nigeria, following the death of former lawmaker Abba Adamu while in kidnappers’ custody. Adamu, who served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, was abducted on May 3 while traveling from Kano to Abuja along the Kaduna-Abuja highway for a political meeting. Reports indicate that he died nine days later despite efforts by his family to secure his release.
In a statement released in Abuja by his media aide Phrank Shaibu, Atiku asserted that Adamu’s tragic end underscores the administration’s failure to curb widespread insecurity. He described the situation as a clear sign that Nigeria is under siege, alleging that the government appears overwhelmed, indifferent, or dangerously incompetent in addressing the national emergency.
Atiku questioned how a former member of the National Assembly could be abducted on such a strategic route and still die in captivity, asking what hope ordinary Nigerians have when they lack visibility, influence, or protection. He noted that kidnappings and attacks have become routine, with citizens no longer safe on roads, in their homes, or even on their farms.
He emphasized that this is no longer an isolated incident but a horrifying pattern. Atiku also criticized the persistent insecurity along the Abuja-Kaduna road despite repeated government assurances and substantial spending on security. He argued that a government that cannot secure its highways has no right to govern and has failed the most fundamental test of leadership.
The former vice president demanded accountability and questioned the federal government’s security strategy. He stressed that Nigerians are tired of condolence messages and expect concrete action to tackle insecurity.