Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government’s repeated verbal condemnations of insecurity, saying Nigerians are no longer swayed by strong rhetoric without concrete action.

Atiku expressed concern over the growing boldness of bandits, who he said now carry out attacks freely and abduct citizens without resistance. Reacting to the recent assault on Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, he described the situation as deeply troubling.

According to him, it is disturbing that despite claims by some state governments that peace deals with bandits are yielding results, the same criminals continue to raid communities and take hostages.

“It is utterly embarrassing to see non-state actors holding the nation to ransom, attacking citizens repeatedly without being effectively challenged,” Atiku said.

He argued that deterrence becomes impossible when governors resort to pleading with bandits under the guise of peace negotiations. While noting that dialogue can be useful in resolving conflicts, Atiku insisted that negotiations must not allow criminals to dictate terms.

“Most of these peace deals benefit the bandits more than their victims, and history has shown that they often outsmart government negotiators,” he stated.

The former vice president also urged authorities to adopt proactive security measures rather than responding only after attacks occur.

“Nigerians are no longer impressed by flowery condemnations. What they want are results, not rhetoric. If strong words alone could stop banditry, this crisis would have ended long ago,” he said.

Atiku further stressed that the Tinubu-led APC government must be held accountable for its campaign promises to tackle insecurity, noting that the party once held previous administrations to very strict standards.

“Nigerians will not be comforted by excuses. The same level of accountability the APC demanded while in opposition must now apply to this administration,” he added.

Bandits Unfazed by Condemnations, Nigerians Want Results – Atiku

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