The Presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have traded words over the country's security situation, following reports that 5,091 Nigerians were killed in violent incidents within three months.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate for 2027, described the death toll as an indictment of President Bola Tinubu's administration and accused the government of failing in its constitutional duty to protect lives and property.

However, the Presidency rejected Atiku's claims, saying he was ignoring the achievements of Nigeria's security agencies. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said security agencies had killed between 13,000 and 20,000 terrorists and rescued more than 10,000 Nigerians from captivity within the same period.

— PUNCH