The Presidency has rejected former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s criticism of the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, saying his focus on the reported deaths of 5,091 Nigerians ignored what it described as significant gains by security agencies against terrorists and other criminal groups.
Atiku had on Sunday described the reported death toll over a three-month period as a damning indictment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and argued that the figures demonstrated the government’s failure to protect lives and property.
Responding in an interview, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said official figures showed that security agencies had killed between 13,000 and 20,000 terrorists during the same period and rescued at least 10,000 Nigerians from captivity.
Ajayi questioned why Atiku had not acknowledged the reported rescues and military operations, accusing the former Vice-President of focusing on negative security developments for political reasons.
“In the last three months, the security agencies have, according to official figures, killed between 13,000 to 20,000 terrorists. They have rescued at least 10,000 Nigerians across the DSS, the police, the military,” Ajayi said.
He added that security agencies were continuing to rescue people abducted by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers across different parts of the country.
Ajayi cited the recent rescue of 308 Nigerians abducted in Kwara and Niger states as an example of the security agencies’ efforts.
“Just last week, 308 Nigerians were rescued from around Niger State, including those abducted in Kwara and part of Niger,” he said.
According to the presidential aide, the military’s efforts also included offensive operations against terrorists, the arrest of their alleged logistics suppliers and informants, and the disruption of criminal networks.
He accused Atiku of deliberately overlooking these developments in order to portray the country’s security situation negatively.
“He cannot focus on that because it doesn’t serve his politics of despair. All he wants to focus on is despondency to sell fear to Nigerians,” Ajayi said.
The presidential aide also criticised Atiku for what he described as a failure to speak in the manner expected of a former Vice-President and statesman.
He accused the former Vice-President of using the security situation to advance his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Ajayi expressed confidence that Tinubu would secure re-election, arguing that the administration’s record on security, insurgency and political stability would earn it another mandate.
Atiku, who is contesting the 2027 presidency on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had earlier criticised the administration’s security record in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
The former Vice-President based his criticism on figures attributed to SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based geopolitical research and strategic communications consultancy that tracks violent deaths, kidnappings and other security incidents in Nigeria.
Atiku said the reported 5,091 deaths represented thousands of families affected by violence and should be a source of concern for any government.
“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,” he said.
He argued that the government’s primary responsibility was to protect the lives and property of citizens and said the reported death toll raised serious questions about its performance.
Atiku also linked the security challenges to what he described as fiscal indiscipline, wasteful expenditure and inadequate implementation of appropriated funds for national security.
He argued that security personnel could not effectively confront terrorism, banditry and kidnapping without adequate equipment, operational funding and welfare.
“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,” he said.
The former Vice-President welcomed the recently announced increase in military pay but maintained that better salaries alone would not address the operational challenges confronting troops.
He called for improved implementation of defence and security budgets, urging the government to cut what he described as wasteful and questionable expenditure and redirect resources towards protecting citizens.
Atiku said the reported 5,091 deaths should be regarded as evidence of the administration’s failure to discharge what he described as its most basic constitutional responsibility.
“A government that cannot protect its citizens has failed the first test of governance,” he said.
He subsequently argued that the reported death toll was sufficient justification for a change of government in 2027.
Police dispute death figures
The Nigeria Police Force also disputed Atiku’s assessment of the security situation.
The Force spokesperson, Ani Iniedu, said available security intelligence indicated that violent crime had declined significantly in recent months.
“I would not want to argue with somebody of his standing. However, if you check the analytics online from several security intelligence data, you will discover that in the past six months, violent crime in Nigeria has drastically reduced,” Iniedu said.
He said available data should be used to assess the security situation rather than relying solely on individual interpretations of the figures.
The Federal Government has in recent months pointed to several successful rescue operations as evidence of progress in its campaign against insecurity.
Among them was the rescue in July of Oriire schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State after 56 days in captivity.
In early August, security agencies also rescued 308 Nigerians abducted in Kwara and Niger states in a coordinated operation involving the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the Armed Forces, the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force.
Following the operation, President Tinubu directed security agencies to strengthen early-warning systems and community-level intelligence gathering to prevent future mass abductions.
The competing claims have further intensified the political debate over the government’s security record ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku continuing to criticise the administration while the Presidency maintains that its security operations are yielding measurable results.
