How I survived assassination attempt in Kaduna – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has shared a harrowing personal story, revealing how he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Kaduna State.

Speaking to the graduating class of 2025 at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), which he founded, Atiku described a night when gunmen targeted him. In a tense moment of survival, he said he shielded his wife and children by hiding them in a wardrobe before confronting the assailants.

“I hid my wife and children in a wardrobe and stepped forward to confront the attackers. They shot at me but missed. I stood up and demanded, ‘Why did you fire?’ That’s what courage looks like,” he said.

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spoke of enduring persecution and pressure during the military era, including an offer of a governorship post without an election—an offer he said he declined.

“Patience is not weakness. It is a weapon of the wise. When we resisted military dictatorship, they offered me a governorship without an election, I rejected it. In 1999, I earned it the right way and became Vice President,” he recounted.

Atiku also paid tribute to his late mentor, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, from whom he said he learned the true meaning of courage.

“His blood pressure was normal on the day of his scheduled execution. That’s a soldier. That’s courage,” Atiku said.