Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday launched a strong criticism of the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what he described as the government’s inability to effectively respond to the worsening insecurity across the country.
Atiku argued that terrorists, bandits and kidnappers operating in Nigeria had continued to evolve in strategy and sophistication, while the government’s counterterrorism approach remained weak, outdated and largely reactive.
The former vice president stated that the growing spread of violent attacks beyond their traditional strongholds in northern Nigeria to other regions of the country was evidence that the nation’s security architecture was failing to keep pace with rapidly changing threats.
In a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu, Atiku expressed concern that criminal groups appeared to be learning from every operation they carried out, improving their methods and exploiting weaknesses in the nation’s security system.
“The terrorists are learning from every attack. They study their successes and failures. They refine their tactics. They identify vulnerabilities. They adapt and strike again,” Atiku stated.
“The question Nigerians must ask is simple: Why isn’t the government doing the same?”
The remarks come amid growing public anxiety over persistent attacks by armed groups across several parts of the country, including mass abductions, deadly village raids and attacks on schools and highways.
In recent months, reports of kidnappings and violent assaults have emerged from states previously considered relatively safe, fueling fears that insecurity is becoming more widespread and difficult to contain.
Atiku said the Tinubu administration had failed to demonstrate the strategic innovation and intelligence-driven coordination needed to confront modern security threats.
According to him, rather than adopting proactive measures capable of dismantling criminal networks, authorities appeared to be responding to attacks only after lives had already been lost.
He warned that insecurity was no longer a regional problem confined to parts of the North-East or North-West but had become a national emergency threatening economic activities, public confidence and national unity.
The former vice president stressed that terrorists and bandits were increasingly exploiting weaknesses in intelligence gathering, border monitoring and inter-agency coordination to sustain their operations.
He argued that despite repeated attacks over the years, the government had not shown sufficient evidence of learning from past mistakes or restructuring its security response.
Political observers believe Atiku’s statement signals the beginning of intensified political criticism ahead of the 2027 general election, where issues of security, economic hardship and governance are expected to dominate national conversations.
The former Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate has consistently positioned insecurity as one of the major failures of successive administrations, frequently calling for reforms in Nigeria’s security and intelligence institutions.
Analysts say his latest comments may resonate with many Nigerians frustrated by recurring incidents of kidnappings, attacks on communities and killings in various parts of the country.
Several opposition figures and civil society groups have also repeatedly urged the Federal Government to adopt modern counterterrorism measures, improve intelligence sharing among security agencies and invest more heavily in surveillance technology and community policing.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Tinubu administration argue that the government inherited deeply rooted security challenges and has continued to support military operations against insurgents, bandits and other criminal groups across the country.
The Federal Government has on several occasions maintained that security agencies are making progress in combating insecurity through ongoing military offensives and intelligence-led operations.
However, fresh incidents of attacks and abductions in different states have continued to spark public concern and criticism from opposition leaders and advocacy groups.
Atiku further warned that unless urgent reforms were implemented, criminal elements would continue to exploit gaps within the security system and extend their operations into more communities nationwide.
He called for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s security strategy, insisting that the country needed a smarter, more adaptive and technology-driven approach capable of anticipating threats before they occur.
According to him, defeating terrorism and banditry requires not only military force but also improved intelligence gathering, strategic planning and strong political will.
The statement has since generated reactions on social media, with many Nigerians debating the current state of national security and the effectiveness of government efforts to tackle violent crimes.
As concerns over insecurity continue to dominate public discourse, many citizens are hoping for decisive actions that will restore confidence, protect lives and prevent further escalation of violence across the country.
