“Government should apologise to Nigerians”- Bugaje faults Tinubu over insecurity, questions second term bid

A former House of Representatives member and Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee of the Social Democratic Party, Usman Bugaje, has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led administration of failing in one of its most fundamental constitutional responsibilities and questioned its bid for a second term.

Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, Bugaje said the worsening security crisis across the country demonstrates the government’s inability to protect lives and property despite nearly completing its first term.

“In terms of insecurity, I feel this government should be ashamed of itself. And they should be able to come out and say sorry to Nigerians that we have not been able to provide you security. And I am amazed that they had the audacity to now even want to continue for another term,” he said.

While assessing governance, security and economic stability, Bugaje argued that insecurity remains the most pressing challenge facing the country. He noted that attacks, kidnappings and killings have continued to spread across several regions.

He referenced reports of traditional rulers abandoning their palaces due to security threats, farmers being unable to access their farmlands and the increasing frequency of abductions.

“We have seen reports that over 30 Obas, that is traditional rulers in the Southwest, don’t sleep in their palaces because over a dozen of them have been attacked, kidnapped, or somehow put in harm’s way. So that itself speaks volumes of the insecurity in this country,” he said.

Bugaje also expressed concern over reports that Nigerians paid trillions of naira in ransom to criminal groups within a short period. He argued that such figures expose the scale of the security challenge and suggest that criminal networks are becoming increasingly empowered.

“I remember the National Bureau of Statistics issued a report, which was carried by a number of papers, that over ₦2.2 trillion, just between 2023 to 2024, in one year, was paid to bandits as ransom. You know what that means? That means we are paying ransom far more than the national security budget itself,” he said.

“Now, if the state is allocating an amount that is even less than what the bandits are collecting, it means the bandits are in a position to have more money than the state for security, which means the state is even defeated,” he added.

Citing incidents from northern Nigeria, Bugaje, who represented Jibia/Kaita Federal Constituency in the National Assembly from 2003 to 2007 under the PDP, lamented that many farmers have abandoned their farms due to fear of attacks. He said this threatens food production and national stability.

“Just like the killings. Farmers now cannot go to the farm. In Zamfara, in Katsina, in Sokoto, and in so many other places. So who is going to be in the farm? I mean, in Southern Katsina where a lot of the food is actually farmed, especially maize and other grains,” he said.

Recalling the case of a prominent farmer who was reportedly kidnapped, forced to pay a substantial ransom and later killed, Bugaje described the incident as evidence that criminal elements are operating with increasing confidence.

“One of the major farmers, one of the richest farmers, was actually abducted. And he had to give ₦500 million as ransom. And you know what happened? Even after that they killed him. They collected the money but they killed him. So it means that the state has been defeated,” he lamented.

The former federal lawmaker insisted there is no valid excuse for the government’s poor performance in addressing insecurity, stressing that security remains the foremost responsibility of any administration.

“So honestly, I can’t see any excuse for this government for not performing its constitutional duty, its fundamental constitutional duty. For me, there is no point for them to even ask for another term if they fail,” he said.

Responding to claims by some government officials that insecurity is being exaggerated to discredit the administration, Bugaje dismissed such arguments as attempts to avoid responsibility.

“Well, I first laugh at that stupidity of the government that is making these statements. All of them. Because it’s too obvious. It is too obvious that this government is entrusted. They don’t have the political will to go after these people,” Bugaje said.

■ BUGAJE CITES KILLING OF RTD GENERAL RABE ABUBAKAR, ALLEGES LINKS BETWEEN OFFICIALS AND BANDITRY

Still on national security, Bugaje alleged that some government officials and political actors maintain questionable relationships with criminal elements operating across parts of northern Nigeria.

Referencing the death of Major General Rabe Abubakar, rtd, who reportedly died in captivity on June 13 after two weeks in the hands of his abductors, Bugaje said available information points to troubling interactions between certain authorities and criminal groups.

“And I can give you evidence from my own state. I am from Katsina State, right? And you can see what happened to this former Major General. There were conversations between the local government chairman of where this thing took place. On telephone, recorded. I listened to them with the head of the bandit that did this. And if you hear that conversation, they are conversations of friends. People who know each other,” he asserted.

Bugaje also recounted an incident in his hometown of Bugaje in Katsina State, where local youths engaged in community self-defence reportedly apprehended armed suspects and handed them over to the police.

He alleged that instead of being commended, the youths were later detained under troubling circumstances.

“In my own town, Bugaje, the youth have been defending their community using locally available means of protection. Before taking up this responsibility, they duly notified the police and obtained the necessary police reports. During the course of protecting the village, these youths apprehended two individuals found in possession of highly sophisticated firearms,” he said.

“Now, when they submitted them to the police, they made statements. But the youths were picked up and they were locked up. What was their fault? The problem was that the bandit leader complained to the state that his guns were not two, but they were actually three,” he added.

He said a supervisor from the ward recorded a conversation in which the state commissioner for security appeared to be defending the bandit leader.

“And when a supervisor from this ward went to speak to the commissioner for security, and he recorded this, the commissioner for security of the state was defending the bandit leader in a way that was just simply unbelievable. And these people were being arrested and kept in police custody on behalf of the bandit leader because he has not supplied the third gun. Now whatever it is, look at the situation. So it is now the state that is defending the bandit,” he said.

Bugaje further alleged that some public office holders, including former Katsina State governor and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, have previously been linked in claims and reports to dealings with bandits.

“Go to the record of the current minister of state for defence. Go and find out how many times he has been accused of working with the bandits. He was accused of supplying vessels and so many other things to the bandits when he was governor. And I suppose he still maintains a relationship with them from what people are saying. So how can you bring these people into defence?” he argued.

He insisted that the persistence of banditry reflects not only security challenges but also what he described as a lack of political will to confront those allegedly involved.