Atiku faults Cross River security over alleged estate robberies

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the security arrangements around Cross River State Governor’s private residence in Calabar, following reports of alleged robberies in neighbouring homes. Atiku said residents of the estate where Governor Bassey Otu’s private residence is located had complained of repeated burglaries despite the presence of armed policemen and two roadblocks securing the governor’s property.

According to him, one resident reportedly lost an air conditioner and a freezer to burglars, while another disclosed that two houses on a nearby street were attacked last week. The former Vice President disclosed this in a post on his X account on Tuesday, questioning the disparity between the security provided for the governor and the protection available to residents living in the same neighbourhood.

He said the governor had been operating from his private residence for nearly three years while the Government House was undergoing renovation, yet residents living nearby remained exposed to security threats. “This is security, APC style: two roadblocks for the governor, and none for the people next door,” Atiku said. He questioned the capacity of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to address insecurity across the state, asking what it could offer communities outside the state capital if residents living beside the governor could not sleep without fear.

Atiku also outlined his proposed security reforms, pledging to transform the Nigeria Police Force from what he described as a regime-protecting force into a citizen-focused public service. He said his administration would expand police personnel towards the international benchmark of one officer to every 450 citizens to improve security coverage across communities.

The ADC presidential candidate also promised to establish community-based security and intelligence networks to enable neighbourhoods to identify and report threats before criminal activities occur. “Security that stops at the governor’s gate is not security; it is a fence,” he added.