The Presidency and Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President have clashed over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, with Atiku linking 5,091 reported deaths in three months to alleged fiscal waste and governance failures, while the Bola Tinubu administration countered that security agencies killed between 13,000 and 20,000 terrorists and rescued more than 10,000 Nigerians during the same period.
Temitope Ajayi, a senior special assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, made the rebuttal in an interview, responding to a statement issued earlier on Sunday by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
The dispute has turned security into a broader political and economic argument ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku questioning whether government spending is delivering adequate protection for citizens, while the Presidency insists that intensified military operations are producing measurable results.
Ajayi accused Atiku of highlighting deaths while ignoring the financial and operational costs of the government’s offensive against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.
Read also: Tinubu unveils strategy to boost livestock sector’s contribution to GDP
