‘It Is Reckless’ – Presidency Blasts Atiku Over Criticism Of Jilli Market Airstrike In Borno

The Presidency has described the comment of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, regarding the recent military airstrike on Jilli market in Borno State as not only misleading but reckless.

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Naija News reported that no fewer than 56 people, mostly traders, were feared dead while several others sustained injuries following the airstrike.

Reacting in a statement on Sunday, Atiku described the death of innocent Nigerians in the bombing as tragic.

He lamented that innocent Nigerians have been reduced to collateral damage and remain unsafe from both terrorists and security operations meant to protect them.

Reacting, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, in a statement on Monday, accused Atiku of politicising a military operation targeted at insurgent positions.

In the statement titled, ‘Atiku: Questionable Patriot’, Dare said the Nigerian Air Force carried out targeted, intelligence-led airstrikes on insurgent enclaves within the Jilli axis, emphasising the location had evolved into a logistics hub for terrorist groups.

While criticising Atiku for describing the operation as an attack on civilians, Tinubu’s aide warned that such claims could undermine public confidence and the morale of security forces.

The statement read, “At a time when our Armed Forces are taking the fight directly to terrorist enclaves, it is both disappointing and telling to see Atiku Abubakar politicize the recent airstrikes at Jilli Market by alleging that the government is targeting civilians.

“Over the weekend, the Nigerian Air Force carried out targeted, intelligence-led airstrikes on insurgent positions within and around the Jilli axis, where the market, though still geographically identifiable, has for years been overtaken and repurposed as a logistics and trading hub for terrorist elements, including BHT and ISWAP.

“Let us be clear: while the location may still be referred to as “Jilli Market,” it has not functioned as a legitimate civilian marketplace in any meaningful sense. By multiple credible accounts, it has evolved into an operational node within the insurgency’s supply chain, facilitating movement, coordination, and sustenance of violent actors.

“For Atiku Abubakar to ignore this context and frame a legitimate military action as an attack on civilians is not only misleading it is reckless. It risks distorting public understanding and undermining the morale of those on the frontlines who are daily risking their lives to secure the country.

“What remains difficult to reconcile is the contradiction. He consistently criticizes the government for failing to curb insecurity, yet when decisive, intelligence-driven action is taken, he is quick to condemn it. That is not principled opposition—it is opportunism.

“At some point, clarity must prevail. You cannot dine with the devil and still pretend to stand with the masses. Nigeria deserves seriousness, not selective outrage.”