FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of neglecting the North-Central region, following persistent attacks and killings in parts of Kwara, Niger, Plateau, and Benue States.
In a statement released on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, September 2, Abubakar said the resurgence of violence in the region was evidence that the Federal Government had “abandoned the North-Central to bloodshed.”
He said the North, with 19 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, had lost 10,000 citizens under Tinubu’s watch in two years that he assumed office.
Abubakar argued that Benue State, battling perennial croppers-herders conflict, recorded more than a half of the deaths.
According to him, Kwara, once considered relatively safe, has become a hotspot for banditry and kidnappings, while Niger State has recorded cases of militants attacking military bases, killing soldiers, and massacring worshippers in mosques.
He added that Plateau and Benue States continued to witness frequent mass burials as a result of recurring violence.
“At the end of May this year, just two years into Tinubu’s rule, over 10,000 lives had been lost in Northern states, with Benue accounting for more than half,” he alleged.
He added, “Since then, mass killings continue weekly, while the government pretends nothing is wrong. This is a monumental failure in the basic duty of securing lives and property.”
While The ICIR has yet to verify Abubakar’s claim, this organisation reported on June 20, this year, that over 18,000 people died from insecurity-related causes in Nigeria under the Tinubu’s watch.
Within the period, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said Nigerian armed forces eliminated 6,260 terrorists and arrested 14,138 terrorists across the country.
Speaking further, Abubakar accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of focusing on political intimidation rather than addressing insecurity.
The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election that brought Tinubu into power, also alleged that meetings of opposition political groups in Kaduna, Kebbi, and Ogun States had been disrupted by “thugs, infiltrators, and hired hooligans,” with security agencies failing to intervene.
“The silence of the APC leadership is proof of complicity,” he stated, stressing that “Violence is a vicious circle that will eventually consume those who use it. Any politician who needs violence to win is desperate, unpopular, and dangerous to democracy.”
Abubakar urged the Nigeria Police to remain neutral. He said their loyalty should be to the public and the Constitution, not to any political party.
“You are funded by taxpayers, not by the APC. Your duty is to remain neutral, fair, and constitutional. Anything less is betrayal of public trust,” he said.
The ICIR reports that there have been deep-rooted and complex drivers of violence in the North-Central region over the years.
The ICIR reported that cropper-herder clashes remained a dominant factor, often triggered by disputes over land use. The report highlighted how environmental pressures and forced migration by herders have worsened these conflicts, with weak justice systems and political manipulation fueling cycles of reprisal attacks.
Beyond these structural issues, the human toll of insecurity has been staggering. The ICIR reported that in just the first quarter of 2024, more than 2,300 people were killed nationwide, averaging 26 deaths daily. Of these, 515 deaths occurred in the six North-Central states alone.
The crisis predated the Tinubu’s government. Earlier in 2022, within just seven months, the North-Central region recorded 494 violent incidents, leaving 1,748 people dead and nearly 1,000 kidnapped. Benue, in particular, has borne a disproportionate share of these casualties.