Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sunday Dare, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his manner of addressing the President, describing it as “the height of insolence.”

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Dare accused Atiku of political hubris for addressing the President simply as “Bola” while allegedly attempting to dictate how the government should be run.

“To seek to lecture a sitting president with the unbridled insolence of dropping his first name, petulantly barking instructions, and dictating how governance should be run within a truncated timeline is the height of political hubris,” Dare said.

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He also dismissed Atiku’s comments on fiscal management, arguing that Nigerians do not need lectures from the former vice president on how to manage the economy.

Dare described Atiku as a “political wanderer” whose decades-long pursuit of the presidency, according to him, has been defined by “perpetual opportunism.”

He defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, saying the President was undertaking what he described as the “heavy, foundational lifting” required to restructure an economy affected by decades of structural challenges and subsidy costs.

“Atiku’s sudden conversion to the gospel of interventionism rings hollow,” Dare said, describing it as a strategy by what he called a “perennial seeker of power” to exploit national difficulties for electoral mileage.

Dare also accused Atiku of weaponising economic challenges for political purposes, while defending the Tinubu administration’s approach to economic reforms.

Biztellers reports that Dare was also reacting to a recent International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration ruling on the dispute involving Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and the Federal Government.

Recall that an ICC arbitration tribunal sitting in Paris on Thursday, September 17, 2026, issued a ruling rejecting Sunrise Power’s claims against the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.

Speaking via a post on X on Friday, Dare said: “Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s recent theatrical press conference, characterised by haughty condescension and an unbecoming disregard for the high office of the President of Nigeria, is nothing short of self-deprecation.”

Dare accused Atiku of attempting to distract Nigerians from questions surrounding the Mambilla project and his past, while criticising what he described as the former vice president’s renewed interventionist position on economic matters.

He further questioned Atiku’s criticism of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the former vice president should first address lingering questions surrounding his past before attempting to lecture the government on governance and economic management.

The comments come amid renewed exchanges between Atiku and the Tinubu administration as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to intensify.

The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the reported deaths of 37 people held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, over alleged illegal mining.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the development in a statement on Saturday, saying the action followed a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.

Recall that the deaths occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

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The Minister also ordered the suspension of all officers involved in the incident pending the conclusion of the independent committee’s investigation.

Tunji-Ojo described the deaths as “deeply disturbing”, stressing that the government owes the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of the events that led to the incident.

According to the statement, the committee will establish the identities of the deceased and investigate their arrests, detention, as well as the cause and circumstances surrounding their deaths.

It will also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable, as well as measures to prevent a recurrence.

The Minister directed the NSCDC leadership and all relevant officers to cooperate fully with the committee.

He further ordered that all records and material evidence connected to the incident be preserved and made available to investigators.

“Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence,” the Minister warned.

Members of the investigative committee
The 10-member committee is chaired by Mr Jonathan Kure, mni, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, while Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, former Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, will serve as Secretary.

Other members are:
AIG Hosea Hassan Karma (retired)

Prof. Olayinka Buhari, Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital

Representative of the Minna Emirate Council

Representative of the Niger State Government.

Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary, Miners Association of Nigeria

Mr Deji Adeyanju, lawyer and human rights activist

Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper

Dr George Agbakahi, Public Affairs Analyst

The committee may co-opt relevant experts, access all necessary facilities and documents, visit relevant locations and request memoranda from members of the public.

It has two weeks to complete its work and submit its report to the Minister.

20 NSCDC officers suspended

The Federal Government also released the names of 20 officers suspended in addition to the Niger State Commandant of the Corps.
The suspended officers are:

O/C Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka

Station Guard, ASCI Hassan Mohammed

Station Guard, CCA Bala Mohammed

Arresting Officer/O/C Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday

Arresting Officer, DCC Obafemi Elvis

Arresting Officer, CSC Annas Shitto Lamino

HOD INT/INV, DCC Philip Ajayi

O/C Legal, ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado

Day/Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed

Guard Duty, IC Abdullahi Sale

Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Sonfada

Guard Duty, CAI Liman Abubakar

Guard Duty, CAI Bala Usman

Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Jiya

Guard Duty, DSC Isah Suleiman

Guard Duty, CAI Ahmed Wushishi

Guard Duty, IC Sale Adamu

Guard Duty, IC Haruna Mohammed

Guard Duty, ASCI Aliyu Sallah

Guard Duty, CAI Isah Sanusi

The Minister extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the investigation continues.

Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is set to address a world press conference at his residence in Abuja on Friday.

The specific reason for the media briefing has not been disclosed as of the time of filing this report.

SEE ALSO: Mambilla: ICC Orders Sunrise Power to Pay Nigeria $11.8m After 9-Year Battle

Atiku’s planned engagement comes amid several developments attracting public attention, including a recent report from TheCable concerning a $500,000 payment allegedly transferred in 2003 to his former wife, Jennifer Douglas, by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited.

TheCable reported that Adesanya told an international arbitration tribunal that the payment was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku.

The report further stated that the payment was made through China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company controlled by Adesanya.

The development comes shortly after an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal ruled in favour of Nigeria in the $2.35 billion arbitration dispute brought by Sunrise Power over the Mambilla hydropower project.

The tribunal also ordered Sunrise Power and its promoter to reimburse Nigeria for a portion of its legal fees and expenses.

However, there is currently no official indication that Atiku’s scheduled press conference is connected to the Sunrise Power report, the arbitration ruling or any other specific issue.