17,000 dead in 3 yrs: Withheld security funds behind killings, Atiku alleges

By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that the withholding of appropriated security funds is directly responsible for the deaths of over 17,000 Nigerians since the advent of the President Bola Tinubu administration, citing revelations by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as vindication of long-standing opposition concerns.

The former Vice President said an ADC administration under his leadership would fundamentally reform Nigeria’s security architecture, promising to ensure that every naira appropriated for national security is released promptly and accounted for; restore intelligence-led policing; deploy modern surveillance technology; strengthen border security; improve inter-agency coordination; fully equip and motivate security personnel; and establish an effective community-based early warning system to stop attacks before they happen.

The former Vice President said it was ironic that President Tinubu, who built much of his political identity on criticising former President Goodluck Jonathan over insecurity, now presides over what many describe as a “Sidon look” presidency, content to issue condolences after every massacre instead of preventing the next one.