African Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has raised alarm over the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, declaring that travelling by road in many parts of the country has become “a gamble with death.”
The former Vice President accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to address growing insecurity, while continuing to increase the nation’s debt burden despite the hardship faced by millions of Nigerians.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, via X, Atiku said fear and uncertainty now define the daily lives of many citizens, as kidnappings, attacks, and killings continue across several communities.
According to him, “in many parts of Nigeria today, travelling by road has become a gamble with death. Families go to bed praying not to receive midnight calls announcing the abduction of loved ones.
“Villages are sacked almost routinely, while those in power appear more concerned about image management than decisive action. What exactly are Nigerians benefiting from all these loans if insecurity continues to spread and the economy continues to suffocate?”
Atiku also lamented the impact of insecurity on agriculture, noting that many farmers have abandoned their farmlands over fear of attacks by bandits and terrorists. He warned that the situation has contributed significantly to rising food prices and worsening hunger across the country.
He stated, “across the country, farmers can no longer safely access their farmlands because vast territories have effectively fallen under the control of armed gangs and terrorists. Food production has declined sharply because rural communities now live under constant threat of attacks, abductions, and killings.
“The inevitable result is what Nigerians are currently witnessing — astronomical food prices, widespread hunger, malnutrition, and rising anger among citizens abandoned by their own government.”
The ADC candidate further criticised what he described as the government’s focus on celebrating debt figures instead of addressing the economic struggles of ordinary Nigerians. He argued that citizens are more concerned about survival, safety, and the rising cost of living than official economic projections.
“It is both astonishing and insulting that at a time when millions of Nigerians can barely afford one meal a day, when parents are withdrawing children from school because of crushing hardship, when businesses are collapsing under unbearable electricity tariffs and inflation, and when entire communities are being overrun by terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, the Presidency is celebrating debt figures as though indebtedness itself were an economic achievement,” he said.
Atiku added that Nigerians are losing hope under the current administration, insisting that government statistics cannot erase the realities of insecurity, hunger, and economic hardship confronting citizens daily.
