Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over insecurity in Benue State, warning that persistent violence is disrupting farming and pushing up food prices.
Atiku spoke on Monday, August 31, 2026, while receiving ADC candidates contesting various elective positions in the state.
Describing Benue as Nigeria’s “Food Basket”, he said attacks and displacement were preventing farmers from accessing their fields, threatening food production and worsening the cost-of-living crisis.
Atiku cited an Amnesty International report published on May 29, 2025, which recorded at least 6,896 deaths in Benue between May 29, 2023, and May 2025, covering the first two years of the Tinubu administration.
He said the killings had displaced families, destroyed livelihoods and weakened agricultural activity, with the effects eventually reflected in food prices nationwide.
The former vice-president also questioned the economic rationale of the petrol subsidy removal, arguing that Nigerians who had accepted higher fuel costs should see improved security and better use of the additional government resources.
He said citizens should not have to bear the cost of economic reforms while remaining vulnerable to deadly attacks.
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Atiku, who is also a farmer, said theft and insecurity had affected his own farms, giving him firsthand experience of their impact on agricultural production.
He further questioned government spending priorities, including import-duty exemptions, and called for greater accountability over public resources.
On the way forward, Atiku advocated stronger security operations, dialogue and protection for farmers and livestock owners.
He recalled previous peace efforts between Tiv and Fulani communities and insisted that criminality should be treated as a crime, not an ethnic issue.
His comments followed the June 2025 Yelwata attack in Guma Local Government Area, where more than 100 people were killed, with later estimates putting the toll at about 150.
Nine suspects were subsequently charged with 57 terrorism-related offences over the attack in February 2026. They pleaded not guilty.
Amnesty International said in July 2025 that violence had displaced at least 500,000 people in Benue.
Atiku urged ADC candidates to make security, agricultural recovery and economic relief central to their political agenda, saying their mandate should ultimately be about protecting lives and restoring livelihoods.