Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has attributed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity to the failure of successive leaders to decisively confront terrorism and insurgency since the early 2000s.

Speaking on Wednesday during a meeting in Abuja with stakeholders from Kogi East Senatorial District, led by former Kogi State Deputy Governor Simon Achuba, Atiku made a pointed critique of Nigeria’s leadership trajectory since the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I hold our leadership responsible for all the insecurity that is going on all over the place,” Atiku said.

Reflecting on the emergence of Boko Haram in Yobe State in 2002, Atiku recounted how, as Vice President, he advised President Obasanjo to take immediate and firm action against the group.

“The president sent for me: ‘VP, what do we do about this?’ I said, ‘Mr President, let’s call the Service Chiefs and give them a deadline. If they can’t put it down, then they should put down their uniform and go. We’ll get others who can,’” Atiku narrated in a video shared on his official Facebook page.

He condemned the lack of political will demonstrated by subsequent governments, stating that leaders have failed in their primary duty to protect Nigerian lives.

“When they’re killing your citizens, how can you even eat? You don’t give a damn — that is the greatest irresponsibility by any political leader anywhere,” he asserted.

Atiku’s remarks come at a time when Boko Haram’s 15-year insurgency continues to wreak havoc in Nigeria’s northeast. The extremist group has been responsible for over 40,000 deaths and the displacement of nearly two million people, highlighting the enduring challenges of insecurity and the urgent need for effective leadership.