Go After Terrorists Not Media, CSO, Atiku Tells Tinubu

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to stop further attacks on the media and civil society organisations and go after terrorists in the country.

Atiku on Tuesday condemned what he called harassment of media organisations and CSO by the Tinubu administration, saying it has surpassed the dark days of military dictatorship.

He said Monday’s twin assault on the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is not only concerning but disturbing.

“The escalating assault on civil society and the media by the Bola Tinubu administration is profoundly disturbing,” Atiku said.

He noted that the “level of oppressive control now imposed surpasses even the harshest days of military dictatorship.”

He stated that the recent arrest of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, en route to an official event, epitomises this “regime’s relentless campaign to intimidate and subdue organised labour.

“Just days prior, security forces detained a journalist, only to later claim it was a grievous error. What if the outcome had been fatal?

“Now, Tinubu’s regime extends its repressive grasp to encroach upon SERAP, an action that stands as a grave affront to our democratic values.”

While describing it as a siege that is anathema to the principles of freedom and justice, he emphasised that it is imperative that “Tinubu and his security apparatus redirect their fervour and intimidation towards the actual perpetrators of violence — terrorists and bandits — who are inflicting immeasurable suffering upon the Nigerian people.”