Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the All Progressives Congress over reported robberies near the Cross River State governor’s private residence in Calabar, questioning why neighbours remained vulnerable despite heavy security around the property.
In a post on X, Atiku said residents of the estate had complained of break-ins while armed police officers and two roadblocks guarded the governor’s home.
He cited an account of a resident who lost an air conditioner and a freezer, alongside another report that robbers attacked two houses on a nearby street the previous week.
‘This is security, APC style: two roadblocks for the governor, and none for the people next door,’ Atiku said.
He alleged that the governor had operated from his private residence for nearly three years while Government House underwent renovation, yet people living nearby continued to fear attacks.
‘If the APC cannot secure the street beside the governor, what does it offer the villages beyond the capital?’ he asked.
Atiku pledged to reform the police into a public service focused on protecting citizens rather than political officeholders.
He also proposed expanding police personnel towards a ratio of one officer to every 450 citizens, which he described as an international standard, to extend protection beyond influential individuals.
The former vice president said he would establish community-based security and intelligence networks to help neighbourhoods raise alerts before criminals struck.
‘Security that stops at the governor’s gate is not security; it is a fence,’ he said.