ABUJA — A media support group loyal to President Bola Tinubu has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of exploiting Nigeria’s worsening security challenges for political gain while consistently failing to condemn the perpetrators of the violence.
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) claimed that while Mr Abubakar is quick to criticise the current administration’s handling of insecurity, he routinely stops short of directly calling out the criminal gangs, locally known as bandits, terrorising northern Nigeria.
The group’s criticism follows the recent death of former military spokesman Major General Rabe Abubakar, who died while being held in captivity by bandits in Katsina State. Mr Abubakar had issued a statement blaming the Tinubu administration for the tragedy.
In a joint statement, TMSG Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo argued that as an elder statesman seeking the nation’s highest office, the former vice president should be leading the condemnation of these armed groups rather than using the crisis to score political points ahead of the next general election.
“It is now increasingly obvious that the former vice president is only interested in how to reap politically from the security situation in the country,” the group said. They further alleged that this pattern of behaviour mirrors his political strategies during the previous administrations of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
The TMSG also defended the federal government’s security strategy, pointing to the military’s recent rescue of the late general’s wife during an offensive operation as evidence of ongoing progress.
The dispute highlights the deepening political friction over Nigeria’s complex security crisis. Long before President Tinubu took office, the North-West and North-Central regions had been plagued by a surge in mass abductions, attacks on rural communities, and clashes originally rooted in long-standing conflicts between herders and farmers.
The pro-Tinubu group reminded the opposition leader of the amnesty window recently offered by the president during his June 12 democracy day address, warning that a full-scale military offensive would follow once the deadline expires.
Mr Abubakar’s media team has yet to respond to the allegations.
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