Nigeria: Atiku Slams Tinubu’s 'Blood-Soaked' Security Record and Pledges Support for Soldiers' Salaries

5,091 Nigerians were killed in violent incidents across the country within a span of three months, according to reports cited by Atiku Abubakar, African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and unsuccessful candidate in several presidential elections under the PDP banner before joining the ADC. Atiku Abubakar states that this toll reflects a "blood-soaked scorecard" for President Bola Tinubu, in office since May 2023. If elected, he promises enhanced support for the salaries of soldiers engaged in the fight against insecurity, although the amount or timeframe of this measure is not specified in the available source. This statement comes as Nigeria has faced for over a decade the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, armed banditry in the Northwest, and clashes between herders and farmers in the Middle Belt, violence that weighs on agricultural production and investment in the affected areas. Economically, the Tinubu administration has already removed petrol subsidies and devalued the naira since 2023, reforms praised by the IMF but which have increased the cost of living. The addition of security criticism by a historic opposition figure increases political pressure ahead of the 2027 presidential election, in a context where Nigeria's defense budget remains one of the highest in West Africa.