Suspected political thugs attacked the presidential campaign convoy of African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Atiku Abubakar in Kebbi State on Thursday, according to Sahara Reporters. The assailants blocked the convoy, threw stones at vehicles and destroyed cameras and other equipment belonging to the campaign's media crew. The former vice-president was touring the state for political engagements ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Why it matters
The incident adds to mounting concern about the safety of campaign teams, journalists and media workers covering opposition politics as the 2027 race gathers pace. The campaign says the attackers ignored valuables and went specifically for recording equipment, which it frames as an attempt to stop Nigerians from seeing what happens on the trail. Coming hours after a court ruling unsettled the party's leadership, the attack also feeds the ADC's argument that it is being squeezed out of the contest.
Campaign says cameras were the target
Royalty Uso, the special adviser on new media to Atiku, confirmed the attack in a post on X. He said thugs he linked to the ruling All Progressives Congress were stationed at junctions to waylay the convoy. According to Uso, the campaign's security operatives responded with tear gas, and supporters helped drive the attackers off.
A member of the campaign team told Sahara Reporters that the assailants were not after money or valuables. In the team member's account, they went straight for the cameras and video crew because they did not want Nigerians to witness events in Kebbi. Cameras, video recording devices, tripods and other production gear were smashed, the campaign said, leaving its media team unable to keep providing live coverage of the tour.
The campaign described the attackers as sponsored thugs and alleged the assault was arranged to frighten supporters, derail the candidate's engagements and keep the press from documenting the visit. Sahara Reporters did not independently identify the attackers or establish who, if anyone, sent them.
Tear gas at the lodge and a legal fight in the background
The convoy attack was not the only disruption reported that day. Sahara Reporters earlier reported that security operatives fired tear gas into the building where Atiku and his entourage were staying in Kebbi. Henry Shield, head of mission for the Leadership and Accountability Initiative, disclosed the incident in a post on X and said the operatives targeted the former vice-president's lodging. Shield also alleged that the state governor had directed traditional rulers to take a three-day break so that Atiku could not pay them courtesy visits during the tour. Those allegations have not been independently verified.
The developments followed a court judgment delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu, which purportedly removed the David Mark-led National Working Committee of the ADC and voided actions taken under Mark's leadership. The party rejected the ruling. Its spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, called it judicial recklessness designed to leave the APC without a serious challenger in 2027, and the ADC accused the judge of a long-standing determination to break up the opposition, pointing to an earlier deregistration that the Court of Appeal reversed.
Amnesty International has separately criticised security agencies over violent attacks on opposition parties, according to Daily Post Nigeria, adding an outside voice to the condemnation that followed the Kebbi reports.
What happens next will turn on whether the ADC presses formal complaints over the convoy attack and the tear gas incident, and on how the courts and security agencies respond as campaigning intensifies.
