Atiku Accuses FG of Failing to Learn from Insecurity Mistakes

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, saying Nigeria’s current security approach has failed to keep pace with the changing tactics of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.**

Atiku, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said violent groups across the country appeared to be adapting faster than the government’s counterterrorism system.

He argued that the spread of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping from their known strongholds in the North to other parts of Nigeria showed that the country’s security framework required urgent review.

According to him, the repeated pattern of attacks, public outrage, official assurances and fresh attacks suggests that the authorities have not adequately applied lessons from previous incidents.

Atiku said Nigeria could no longer afford what he described as a routine response to insecurity, stressing that the country needed a more proactive, intelligence-driven and community-based counterterrorism strategy.

The former vice president recalled major security tragedies, including the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, saying such incidents should have helped the country develop stronger early-warning systems to prevent similar attacks on schools and vulnerable communities.

He also referred to recent security concerns in Oyo State and other areas, noting that attacks on schoolchildren, teachers and rural communities continued to raise questions about the effectiveness of existing safety measures.

Atiku called for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s National Counterterrorism Policy to make it more responsive to local realities. He said counterterrorism efforts should be built around the experiences of affected communities, rather than relying only on centrally designed security models.

As part of his proposals, he urged the Federal Government to establish a Terrorism Violence Peer Review Mechanism involving local leaders, affected communities, security agencies and other stakeholders. He said such a system would help document lessons from past attacks and integrate them into national security planning.

He also proposed the creation of specialised Counterterrorism Fusion Centres across the six geopolitical zones to improve real-time intelligence sharing among the military, police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, immigration, customs and local vigilante groups.

Atiku further stressed that military deployment alone would not end terrorism, adding that successful security operations require stronger intelligence gathering, improved border control and effective disruption of terrorist financing networks.

He said insecurity should not be treated only as a military problem, arguing that poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and poor governance create conditions that criminal and extremist groups exploit for recruitment.

The former vice president also called for a National Victims and Survivors Support Framework to provide psychosocial care, educational support and economic recovery assistance to communities affected by terrorist attacks.

Atiku questioned the impact of Nigeria’s huge security spending over the years, saying the continued threat to lives and property pointed to deeper problems of strategy, coordination, accountability and leadership.

He urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to move beyond promises and take urgent steps to rebuild public confidence in the government’s ability to protect Nigerians.