Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that Nigeria is gradually turning into a police state under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In an article titled “A Nation Gripped in the Throes of Fear,” Atiku said the government is using intimidation and repression to silence citizens, journalists, and activists who speak against it.
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He accused the administration of using the Cybercrimes Act as a weapon to target critics, calling it a modern tool of tyranny similar to old colonial laws that restricted free speech.“No government, no matter how powerful, is greater than the people,” Atiku warned.
He also accused the government of disobeying court orders and using state institutions to suppress opposition voices, saying this behavior undermines democracy and the rule of law.
Atiku criticised the National Assembly and other oversight agencies for failing to hold the executive accountable, saying they now seem more interested in praising the president than in checking his power.
He said the administration has responded to citizens’ complaints about economic hardship and bad governance with brute force and intimidation, instead of dialogue.“Treating peaceful protesters as criminals and jailing journalists is a sign of dictatorship,” he wrote.
Atiku added that many local and international organisations — including Amnesty International, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Media Rights Agenda — have condemned the government’s growing human rights abuses.
He described the coming 2027 general election as a defining moment for Nigerians to choose between “Tinubu’s rule and the will of the people.”
“History shows that no dictator has ever defeated the collective voice of a determined people,” Atiku concluded.