Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to account for his administration’s response to attacks, civilian casualties, abductions and natural disasters in Kaduna State ahead of the President’s expected re-election campaign launch.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, said the President should address the concerns of affected communities before seeking another mandate.
In a statement delivered by his Director of Strategic Communication at the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku cited several incidents in Kaduna State, including military airstrikes, attacks by bandits and weather-related disasters.
He referred to the December 3, 2023, military drone strike on civilians attending a Maulud celebration in Tudun Biri, which he said killed at least 85 people.
Atiku said Tinubu sent the Vice-President to visit survivors but did not personally visit the grieving families.
He also cited reports by residents of Giwa in September 2024 alleging that another military airstrike had killed at least 24 civilians.
In Kajuru, Atiku said families had suffered the loss of loved ones and continued searching for relatives abducted by bandits.
He further referred to a kidnapping-related attack in Kachia in September 2025, which he said affected 152 people, leaving eight dead and nine injured.
The former vice-president also highlighted the effects of windstorms, heavy rainfall and flooding in the state.
According to him, windstorms and rain in July 2025 affected 6,172 people and damaged hundreds of shelters across five local government areas. He said flooding in Zaria in September that year affected 476 people and left dozens injured.
Atiku argued that the scale of the incidents required sustained presidential attention and stronger measures to protect residents.
“When families were burying their dead, searching for their children and clearing wreckage from their homes, Kaduna needed the attention of its President,” he said.
He also questioned the Presidency’s account of Tinubu’s September 2025 visit to Kaduna, which he said listed a wedding and a courtesy call.
“Tinubu can find his way to Kaduna for a wedding. He can find his way there for votes. Why was he absent when grieving families needed their President?” Atiku asked.
He urged the President not to use affected families as a backdrop for a campaign event and called for explanations on assistance provided to victims of the Tudun Biri strike, the outcome of investigations into civilian deaths and measures being taken to protect communities threatened by abductions.
“Before asking Kaduna for another mandate, he should explain what has been done for the victims of Tudun Biri, what became of investigations into civilian deaths and how his government will protect communities still threatened by abduction,” he said.
The supplied material contains Atiku’s criticisms but does not include a response from the Presidency to the allegations.
