By Precious Mark
Atiku Abubakar, the Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, has fired back at Babachir Lawal, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), over his comments on insecurity, insisting that he has consistently condemned terrorism, banditry and kidnappings across Nigeria.
The media office said Lawal’s latest comments reflected an attempt at “revisionism” of his public record and alleged involvement in internal party disputes, insisting that his criticisms of Atiku Abubakar were unfounded and politically motivated.
“We read with amusement but concern for the mental state of former SGF Babachir Lawal, his latest attempt at revisionism of his disgraceful public service record,” the statement said.
It further accused Lawal of abandoning substantive issues to pursue personal attacks against the 2027 African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.
In a strongly worded remark, the Atiku camp alleged that Lawal had resorted to “personal attacks against Atiku Abubakar” instead of addressing his own controversies.
The statement, issued on Sunday in Abuja and signed by Paul Ibe, described Lawal as “possibly going bunkers from the abuse of booze,” adding that his claims were misleading and contradicted available public records.
It maintained that Atiku had consistently spoken out against terrorist and bandit attacks across the country, including incidents in Benue, Plateau and other affected states, while also empathising with victims and displaced communities.
“Despite the fact that Atiku Abubakar is Fulani from Adamawa, in the North-East region, the ADC presidential candidate in the 2027 election has frequently spoken out and forcefully too in condemnation of terrorist and banditry attacks and the escalating wave of kidnappings across Nigeria,” it added.
According to the statement, the former Vice President has repeatedly criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, warning that Nigeria’s security architecture is collapsing and that authorities rely on “empty statements” instead of decisive action.
It also restated Atiku’s call for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism framework, including legislation to empower state governments to equip local security outfits with modern weapons to complement federal forces.
The statement added that Atiku has consistently advocated community-based intelligence gathering, urging Nigerians to support security agencies while avoiding collaboration with criminal groups.
It further highlighted his proposal for a National Victims and Survivors Support Framework aimed at providing psychological care, education support and economic recovery programmes for victims of violent attacks.
The former Vice President also recently called for the establishment of special courts to expedite terrorism trials and ensure capital punishment for convicted offenders.
“When Babachir Lawal is eventually sober, he may wish to take out time to review public reports in which Atiku Abubakar spoke against terrorist and banditry attacks and proffered solutions,” the statement added.
The media office insisted that Atiku’s interventions on insecurity have been consistent across all regions of the country without exception.