Atiku condemns bandit attack under Tinubu, calls for creation of state police

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the recent tragic attack resulting in the loss of lives, including that of a village head, and the abduction of residents in Rafi Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.

The incident, as reported by Daily Trust, unfolded on Thursday afternoon when bandits descended on a market in Madaka, a bustling community in Rafi LGA, claiming the lives of at least 21 individuals.

Eyewitnesses recounted that the assailants, armed and numbering in groups, launched their attack at around 3pm, targeting the market bustling with commercial activities, indiscriminately firing at the unsuspecting crowd.

Among those tragically killed was a newlywed butcher, who had ventured to the market to procure goods for his business when the bandits struck.

Expressing his dismay over the relentless violence plaguing the nation, Atiku Abubakar took to X on Friday to denounce the escalating insecurity, describing Nigeria as a “killing field” under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

In his statement, Atiku emphasized the pressing need to expedite the implementation of state police, stressing that local and state authorities must be empowered to deploy strategies tailored to their specific security challenges.

“It is saddening that Nigeria has become a killing field,” Atiku remarked. “Thursday’s killing of scores of persons, including the village head and abduction of an unspecified number of people by suspected bandits in Madaka, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, is yet another confirmation that contrary to assurances, insecurity continues to be rife in our country.”

He continued, “We have to prioritize security and speed up the process of a constitutional amendment that will introduce State Police so that states and local authorities can deploy mechanisms that best suit their environment in tackling this hydra-headed insecurity in our land.”