FORMER Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the reported deployment of security operatives to protect his campaign billboards in Kaduna, questioning the government’s priorities amid persistent insecurity across Nigeria.
In a post on his social media account on Friday, October 23, Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the January 16, 2027, election, reacted to a Daily Trust report that security personnel had been assigned to guard Tinubu’s campaign posters and billboards ahead of the planned flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna on Saturday, October 24.
“Bola, you claim Nigerians love you, yet your billboards in Kaduna require security guards. Bandits raid villages, terrorists attack communities, and families live in fear. Your posters enjoy protection that millions of Nigerians can only dream of,” Abubakar wrote.
He described the situation as a tragic statement of Tinubu government’s priorities and urged the president to extend the same urgency to protecting Nigerians.
“Bola, please protect Nigerians with the same urgency you protect your image!” he added.
The ICIR reports that Daily Trust reported on Friday that personnel of the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTLEA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were among those assigned to protect Tinubu’s campaign billboards, particularly along major roads leading to the Kaduna Township Stadium, the venue of the expected rally.
According to the report, a security operative involved in the assignment said personnel had been directed to protect the billboards and posters from vandalism, particularly at night.
“We were assigned alongside KASTLEA marshals to protect Tinubu’s billboards and posters from being vandalised before the campaign rally. Our duty is mostly at night because that is when the youths can carry out such acts,” the operative was quoted as saying.
The source added that the assignment followed a circular issued by the unit directing some personnel to provide security for the campaign materials.
Tinubu is expected to be present at the campaign with other APC stalwarts, including governors.
The ICIR reports that Abubakar will face other candidates, including Tinubu and former Anambra State Governor and candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, in the election.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.