Atiku Raises Alarm Over Renewed Plateau Killings, Accuses Federal Gov’t Of Failing To Protect Lives

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has sounded a fresh warning over the escalating violence in Plateau State, condemning what he described as the government’s failure to protect citizens amid renewed attacks in affected communities.

In a statement issued Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the latest killings in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the Stats as part of a disturbing and coordinated pattern of violence.

“The violent crises in Plateau State have become an open sore that Nigeria must urgently heal,” Atiku said. “What is happening is no longer random violence. It is a recurring pattern of coordinated terror attacks against vulnerable communities.”

He expressed outrage over reports that suspected armed attackers stormed the Nding Susut community on Tuesday night, killing several residents, before returning the next day to attack mourners gathered for a mass burial.

“That attackers could reportedly return to the same community barely 24 hours later to unleash another round of bloodshed is a damning indictment of the government’s failure to respond swiftly to distress calls and secure vulnerable communities,” he said.

Atiku further criticised what he called conflicting accounts from authorities, noting that while community sources insisted mourners were targeted, police narratives appeared to dispute parts of the incident.

“What Nigerians deserve at this moment is not bureaucratic contradiction or institutional defensiveness, but urgent action, accountability, and protection for human lives,” he stated.

The former vice president did not hold back in his criticism of the current administration led by President Bola Tinubu, accusing it of lacking a clear and effective counterterrorism strategy.

“There can be no justification whatsoever for this repeated failure. Nigerians are tired of condolences without protection, and outrage without action,” he said.

“The inability of security agencies to dominate and secure areas that have become repeated theatres of bloodshed is deeply troubling.”

He also referenced the March 29 killings in Jos North, alleging that President Tinubu failed to visit the worst-hit communities during his April 2 trip to the state.

“Leadership demands more than carefully staged appearances; it demands empathy, courage, and decisive action,” Atiku said. “The Tinubu administration has failed the people of Plateau State in its constitutional duty to protect lives and property.”

Citing available reports, Atiku noted that over 2,500 people have reportedly been killed in Plateau State between 2023 and 2025, describing the figures as a grim reflection of a worsening security crisis.

“These are not mere statistics. They are fathers, mothers, children, farmers, worshippers, and breadwinners whose lives have been cut short,” he said. “What is even more painful is that there is no convincing indication that this administration has developed any coherent plan to stop the killings.”

He warned that reactive responses to attacks would not suffice in addressing the crisis.

“Investigating one massacre after another without dismantling the structures that enable these atrocities will achieve little beyond temporarily calming public outrage,” Atiku added.

Calling for urgent action, Atiku urged the Federal Government, security agencies, and Plateau State authorities to adopt a proactive and intelligence-driven security framework.

“The people of Plateau State deserve more than sympathy visits and press statements,” he said. “They deserve a robust, intelligence-driven, and proactive security architecture capable of preventing attacks before they happen.”

“The people of Plateau State deserve safety, justice, and peace, not endless mourning and empty political rhetoric,” he concluded.