By Gabriel Atumeyi
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a hard-hitting statement condemning the rising insecurity in Benue State, declaring that Nigeria’s “Food Basket” is now “bleeding” while the Tinubu administration fails to protect farmers and bring down food prices.
Citing a recent Amnesty International report, Atiku noted that 6,896 people were killed in Benue State alone within the first two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“Behind that figure are farmers who never returned from their farms, families driven from their ancestral homes, and communities emptied by fear,” he said.
Atiku warned that the crisis is not just a security issue but a cost-of-living crisis affecting every Nigerian family.
“Every farmer forced off the land eventually shows up in the price of yam, rice, beans, vegetables and meat in the market. Insecurity is not only a security crisis; it is now a cost-of-living tax on every Nigerian family.”
Speaking not only as a former Vice President but as a farmer, Atiku disclosed that his own farms have suffered from theft and disruption, giving him, in his words, firsthand understanding of what insecurity does to production and livelihoods.
“My farms have suffered from theft and disruption. I therefore understand, from personal experience, what insecurity does to production, livelihoods and ultimately the price of food in the market,” he said.
“This makes the failure of the Tinubu administration even more difficult to excuse.”
Atiku took aim at the Tinubu administration’s handling of resources freed from fuel subsidy removal, questioning where the promised security dividends have gone.
“Nigerians were told that removing fuel subsidy would free enormous resources for development and security,” he said. “Yet, in 2025 alone, the Nigeria Customs Service disclosed about ₦34 trillion in import-duty exemption approvals, with a substantial portion reportedly linked to military hardware.”
He added: “So Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: Where is the security? Where are the results?”
Atiku argued that if Nigerians must pay more for fuel and enormous concessions are approved in the name of national priorities, then “Nigerians should not also be paying with their lives.”
Atiku reminded Nigerians that he has helped broker peace between Tiv and Fulani communities before, and expressed his firm belief that criminality has no ethnic identity.
“A killer is a killer. A thief is a thief. We must punish criminals, protect farmers, secure livestock owners, and restore peaceful coexistence,” he stated.
He made the comments while receiving PDP candidates for various elective positions in Benue State, charging them to pursue a mission greater than winning elections.
“Their mission must be greater than winning elections. It must be about protecting lives, restoring livelihoods, reviving the Food Basket of the Nation, and making life affordable again,” he said.
“Tinubu removed the subsidy. Nigerians paid the price. Government got the resources. Benue should not still be paying with blood. Secure Benue. Restore the Food Basket. Make Nigeria affordable again”, he concluded.
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