TMSG to Atiku: When, for once, will you condemn banditry and stop politicking? 

 

The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has again expressed concerns over former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s persistent penchant for shying away from condemning and calling out bandits, wondering whether it is because he shares ethnic ancestry with some of the criminals perpetrating the acts of terror.

The group alleged that while Atiku Abubakar had been observed to be always quick to lash out at President Bola Tinubu on insecurity, he has always fallen short of condemning the perpetrators, citing the recent example of the death of former military spokesman Major General Rabe Abubakar in bandits’ captivity.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, the group argued that as someone seeking the highest office in the land, he should not be seen turning a blind eye to dastardly acts and activities of bandits with a Fulani ethnic background.

The statement read in part, “We would be right to expect that as a father, leader and elder statesman from Northern Nigeria, which is currently bedevilled by insecurity, the former Vice President should be seen to take the lead in calling out banditry, particularly the notorious bandit commander, Kachalla Muhammadu, who was responsible for the abduction of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar in Katsina State.

“But alas, here he was lashing out at President Bola Tinubu over the death of the former military spokesman in captivity.

“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 and would rather care less but pounce on the Tinubu administration for all the wrong reasons.

“With the benefit of hindsight, this was exactly what he did during the Goodluck Jonathan years when he was desperately angling for the coveted Presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2012 and 2013.

“It is on record that he also literally mocked the late President Muhammadu Buhari when bandits of Fulani extraction began to run amok and were raiding schools in North West Nigeria. In those days, former Vice President Atiku was emphatic in presenting himself as the one with the magic wand to save the nation from the insecurity of the time.

“We are aware that banditry in the region stemmed from scattered incidents between Fulani herders and farmers before it became a national security issue long before President Tinubu assumed office, but it is increasingly taking a wider dimension.

“And now that the country is looking forward to another general election, we are witnessing a spike in abduction and once again, the former Vice President is looking forward to reaping electoral benefits by casting the President Tinubu government as too incompetent to address the security challenge.

“We are aware that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar proceeded to outline some recent terrorist acts which he tacitly suggested were a reminder of the challenges of the Jonathan era, but what he failed to realise is that he was belittling ongoing efforts of the military in all the theatres of operations, especially in Northern Nigeria.

“We are, however, elated that the military has proved him wrong by rescuing the wife of the late general during an offensive against the criminal elements.

“We hope that by the time the window of surrender the President recently gave in his recent June 12 anniversary is shut, and the military launches a full-blown military offensive against bandits, Atiku would not be quick to accuse the administration of high-handedness.

“And because we know he is quite old and cannot be at the frontlines, we hope he would encourage members of his media team to take up the challenge thrown up by the Minister of Defence, General CG Musa, and be embedded in the troops to have a first-hand knowledge of what the military has been up to with the support of the Tinubu administration.”

The group appealed to Nigerians to keep faith, urging them to rally around the military and the Bola Tinubu administration in the ongoing efforts to curb and stamp out insecurity in the country.