Unuevbo TV
Ex-Jigawa Rep Abba Anas Adamu Dies in Bandit Captivity After Nine Days — Atiku Blames Tinubu's "Security Failures" as Nation Reels
Former House of Representatives member, Hon. Abba Anas Adamu, who died in bandit captivity nine days after being abducted on the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
Former Jigawa State House of Representatives member, Hon. Abba Anas Adamu, has died in the custody of his abductors, nine days after he was seized by bandits along the increasingly deadly Kaduna‑Abuja highway. The death of the former lawmaker, confirmed by family sources on Tuesday, May 12, has triggered a fresh wave of national outrage and a bitter political blame game, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accusing the Tinubu administration of security failures that he described as "a damning indictment of a government overwhelmed, indifferent, or dangerously incompetent."
Adamu was abducted on May 3 while travelling on the Kaduna‑Abuja expressway, a route that has become one of Nigeria's most dangerous despite the presence of military checkpoints and billions of naira in security spending. His family received several ransom demands during his nine‑day captivity, but the negotiations — reportedly handled by intermediaries — ultimately failed to save him. The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, though one family source said he may have succumbed to untreated health conditions aggravated by the harsh conditions of his detention.
Atiku's Outrage: "Nigeria Is Under Siege"
Atiku, who served as Vice President under President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007, was quick to seize on the tragedy, issuing a statement that linked Adamu's death directly to what he called the government's "abysmal" security record. "How can a former federal lawmaker be abducted on a major highway, held for nine days, and die in captivity without a rescue operation succeeding?" Atiku asked. "This is not just a tragedy; it is a damning indictment of a government that has failed in its most sacred constitutional duty — the protection of life and property."
The former Vice President went further, describing Nigeria as "under siege" and accusing the Tinubu administration of appearing "overwhelmed, indifferent, or dangerously incompetent" in the face of a security crisis that has seen thousands killed, kidnapped, or displaced across multiple states. He noted that Adamu's death was not an isolated event but part of a pattern that has left the Abuja‑Kaduna corridor — once one of Nigeria's busiest and most secure routes — a permanent theatre of banditry. "The government must explain to Nigerians what its trillions in security spending have achieved if a former lawmaker cannot travel safely between two major cities," Atiku concluded.
A Nation in Mourning, A Government Under Pressure
Adamu's death has reverberated far beyond Jigawa. The National Assembly observed a minute of silence in his honour on Tuesday, with several lawmakers expressing grief and frustration. Former colleagues described Adamu as a quiet, effective legislator who had served his constituency with integrity. His killing is the latest in a series of high‑profile abductions that have shattered the sense of security of even the politically connected, underscoring the depth of Nigeria's kidnapping-for-ransom epidemic. For the Tinubu administration, Adamu's death comes at an especially difficult moment — with the 2027 election season already heating up and opposition figures like Atiku and Peter Obi circling, every security failure becomes a political weapon. The government has yet to issue an official response beyond a brief statement from the Ministry of Police Affairs offering condolences and promising a "thorough investigation," a phrase that has become bitterly familiar to a grieving nation.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on Nigeria's security challenges, the political fallout from rising insecurity, and the 2027 election implications.
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.