Atiku to Tinubu: Stop using security guards to protect your billboards while Nigerians live in fear

African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the January 16, 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the reported deployment of security personnel to protect his campaign billboards in Kaduna, questioning the government’s priorities amid persistent insecurity across the country.

Atiku made the criticism in a social media post on Friday, October 23, reacting to a newspaper report that security operatives had been assigned to guard Tinubu’s campaign posters and billboards ahead of the planned flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna on Saturday, October 24.

“Bola, you claim Nigerians love you, yet your billboards in Kaduna require security guards. Bandits raid villages, terrorists attack communities, and families live in fear. Your posters enjoy protection that millions of Nigerians can only dream of,” Abubakar wrote.

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He described the reported deployment as reflecting what he considered misplaced priorities by the Tinubu administration, urging the President to show the same urgency in protecting citizens across the country.

“Bola, please protect Nigerians with the same urgency you protect your image!” he added.

The ICIR reports that Daily Trust reported on Friday that personnel of the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTLEA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were among those assigned to protect Tinubu’s campaign billboards, particularly along major roads leading to the Kaduna Township Stadium, the venue of the expected rally.

According to the report, a security operative involved in the assignment said personnel were directed to protect the campaign materials from vandalism, especially at night.

“We were assigned alongside KASTLEA marshals to protect Tinubu’s billboards and posters from being vandalised before the campaign rally. Our duty is mostly at night because that is when the youths can carry out such acts,” the operative was quoted as saying.

The source added that the assignment followed a circular issued by the unit directing some personnel to provide security for the campaign materials.

Tinubu is expected to attend the campaign flag-off alongside other APC leaders, including governors.