Atiku and Presidency clash over 5,091 deaths in 3 months

The Presidency and Atiku Abubakar are at each other's throats again, this time over the security crisis. Atiku's camp released a statement on Sunday saying 5,091 Nigerians died in three months, calling it a "damning indictment" of the Tinubu administration. He said, "Behind every number is a Nigerian whose life was cut short, a family thrown into mourning, children deprived of parents and communities condemned to fear."

But the Presidency fired back through Temitope Ajayi, a senior special assistant to the President on Media and Publicity. Ajayi told the press that security agencies killed between 13,000 and 20,000 terrorists and rescued at least 10,000 Nigerians in the same period. He cited the rescue of 308 people abducted in Kwara and Niger states as proof of progress, and accused Atiku of peddling "politics of despair." He said, "He cannot focus on that because it doesn't serve his politics of despair. All he wants to focus on is despondency to sell fear to Nigerians."

This is bigger than body counts. Atiku is pushing the argument that the government is wasting money and failing its constitutional duty to protect lives, while the Presidency insists the military is delivering results. With 2027 looming, both sides are using security to score political points. But the question remains: when 5,091 families are burying their loved ones, does anyone in Aso Rock actually feel the weight of that number?