Follow Us on Google
The presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said his farms have suffered theft and disruption due to insecurity, while lamenting persistent insecurity in Benue State that he said has driven up food prices nationwide.
Atiku made the remarks in a social media on Monday, after hosting ADC candidates for various elective positions in Benue State.
“Benue is the Food Basket of the Nation. Today, that basket is bleeding,” he stated.
Citing data from Amnesty International, Atiku said 6,896 people were killed in Benue alone in the first two years of the Bola Tinubu administration.
He added that behind the figure are farmers who never returned from their farms and communities emptied by fear.
“And when Benue cannot farm, Nigeria cannot eat cheaply.
“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,” the former Vice President said.
Speaking from personal experience, Atiku explained, “I speak about this not only as a former Vice President, but as a farmer who has felt the consequences of insecurity. My farms have suffered from theft and disruption.”
He lambasted the Tinubu administration, noting that insecurity persists despite the removal of fuel subsidy and about ₦34 trillion in import-duty exemption approvals disclosed by the Nigeria Customs Service in 2025, with “a substantial portion reportedly linked to military hardware”.
“So Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: Where is the security? Where are the results?” he asked.
Atiku said the crisis is solvable and recalled brokering peace between Tiv and Fulani communities in the past.
“Criminality has no tribe. A killer is a killer. A thief is a thief. We must punish criminals, protect farmers, secure livestock owners, and restore peaceful coexistence,” he said.
On the ADC candidates in Benue, Atiku said, “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.”
“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,” the ADC presidential candidate added.
