Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu following serious allegations of assault and abduction against the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu.
At the centre of the controversy is a claim made by Atiku Isah, a factional leader of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who accused Seyi and the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, of offering him a N100 million bribe.
According to Isah, the alleged offer came during a meeting in Lagos in exchange for his support of Tinubu’s administration. He claimed that when he rejected the bribe, he was violently assaulted, stripped, and abducted by unidentified individuals.
Isah, while speaking at a press conference in Abuja, described the ordeal as an attempt to punish him for refusing to back the government. He claimed that his attackers were politically connected and acting under orders to intimidate him.
However, Seyi Tinubu has denied all involvement. Posting on his Instagram stories, he said, “Wow… how can someone lie with so much confidence? An attempt to defame my character. May God be with you, Comrade Atiku Isah.” He further stated that he had never met Isah or attended any such meeting, insisting the entire story was a fabricated attempt to destroy his image.
Sunday Asefon, a former NANS president and now a special assistant to the president on student affairs, supported Seyi’s position.
He claimed that the allegations were part of a larger plan by political opponents, including former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, to discredit the Tinubu family ahead of the 2027 elections. Asefon also accused Isah of residing in El-Rufai’s home and attending meetings with well-known opposition leaders like Atiku, Omoyele Sowore, and Sule Lamido.
El-Rufai responded on social media, asking, “What is going on here? Is there a denial by the named culprits or any response from law enforcement agencies or inquiries by human rights organisations?” He called for answers and justice regarding the situation.
Isah rejected Asefon’s claims, stating he hadn’t been in contact with El-Rufai for nearly a decade. He also clarified that while he did meet Atiku and Sowore, it was in public and unrelated to any political plot. “I visited Atiku after several attempts to reach him, and I met Sowore for the first time at a public birthday event. Does that mean I am working for them?” he asked.
Isah insisted that despite disagreeing with some of President Tinubu’s policies, he still supported the administration but would always speak up for truth and fairness.
Atiku Abubakar, speaking through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, condemned what he described as intimidation tactics being used against the student leader. “It is intolerable that the first family would seek to subjugate NANS or any civil society group through threats, bribes, or brute force,” Atiku said. “The presidency is a public trust, not a private inheritance.”
He also called for an impartial investigation into the claims made by Isah and urged Nigerians to resist any effort to silence opposing voices.
