The Presidency has rebuked criticism by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar over the recent airstrikes in Jilli, describing his remarks as reckless and misleading.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communications, Sunday Dare, in a statement shared on his X handle, faulted Atiku for what he described as the politicisation of a sensitive military operation.
Mr Dare explained that the Nigerian Air Force conducted targeted, intelligence-driven airstrikes over the weekend on insurgent positions within and around the Jilli axis.
According to him, although the location is still commonly referred to as it has, over time, been overtaken and repurposed as a logistics and trading hub for terrorist elements, including boko haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
He noted that the area no longer functions as a legitimate civilian marketplace but has evolved into an operational node within the insurgents’ supply chain, facilitating movement, coordination, and sustenance of violent actors.
The presidential aide maintained that Atiku’s assertion that the government was targeting civilians failed to reflect the prevailing realities on ground and disregarded the strategic context of the operation.
“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,” he said.
Dare further cautioned that such comments have the capacity to distort public perception and erode the morale of security personnel engaged in ongoing counter-insurgency operations.
He also drew attention to what he described as an inconsistency in Atiku Abubakar’s position, noting that while the former vice president has repeatedly faulted the government over insecurity, he has simultaneously criticised what he termed decisive, intelligence-driven military action.
“That is not principled opposition, it is opportunism,” he said.
The Presidency reaffirmed that the nation’s Armed Forces remain steadfast in their ongoing efforts to secure the country, while cautioning against what it described as selective outrage in matters of national security.