Tinubu pushing to execute protesters while insecurity ravages the country – Atiku

Our reporter/ Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called out President Bola Tinubu for ignoring insecurity challenges in the country while trying to execute protesters for treason.

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in the last general election, who stated this via a statement posted on X on Wednesday, lamented the killings by Boko Haram in Yobe and other parts of northern states, attributing them to the Tinubu-led government’s “failure.”

“Despite the tragic bloodshed in Yobe, which has claimed scores of lives, and the rampant destruction across numerous villages in Katsina, Sokoto, and other towns within the North-West and North-Central regions, the government seems to remain detached, engrossed in inconsequential affairs,” Atiku said.

“The turmoil extends to the South as well, where the disquiet wrought by Boko Haram and the unsettling political discord threatens the nation’s peace. Amidst these grave challenges, the federal government preoccupies itself with stifling dissent, resorting to draconian measures such as imposing death sentences on protesters,” he further stated.

Atiku ’s criticisms followed a recent Boko Haram attack in Yobe that left over a hundred dead.

Public outrage has trailed the trial of 10 hunger protesters for treason, a crime punishable by death under Nigerian law.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International outrightly condemned the treason charges against hunger protesters by Tinubu’s government as a desperate move to manipulate the criminal justice system to punish critics.

In a statement on Monday, the organisation criticised Tinubu’s government for targeting citizens who protested against endemic poverty and corruption with baseless charges.

“Some of the charges to be filed against the protesters, ranging from treason, which carries the death penalty, to allegations of ‘plans to destabilize Nigeria,’ show how far the Nigerian authorities can go in manipulating the criminal justice system to silence critical voices,” the human rights organisation said.

It added, “These attempts by President Bola Tinubu’s government to charge those who protested widespread poverty and rampant corruption with treason are beyond absurd and baseless.”