Atiku Abubakar has condemned the abduction of schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo State, describing the incident as evidence of the country’s deteriorating security situation.
In a statement released on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the latest kidnapping underscores what he sees as the government’s failure to effectively tackle insecurity.
He also criticised reports that government officials visited affected families with relief items, arguing that such gestures do not address the urgent concerns of parents whose children are still being held captive.
“The cruelty of such a response is difficult to comprehend. Parents whose children have been torn from their arms are not asking for rice. Mothers who do not know whether their children are hungry, sick, traumatised, or even alive are not demanding palliatives.
“Fathers who wake up every morning praying for a phone call announcing the safe return of their children are not looking for handouts. What these families need is action. What they need is leadership. What they need is a government capable of rescuing their children and bringing the criminals responsible to justice,” Atiku said.
The former vice president expressed concern over what he described as a pattern of inadequate responses to growing security threats across the country.
According to him, the consequences of kidnappings go far beyond figures, leaving lasting effects on families and entire communities.
“It is a damning verdict on this government that while criminals operate with audacity and freedom, innocent schoolchildren are abducted from their classrooms, and the official response is the distribution of rice.
“This is not governance. This is an abdication of responsibility. It is a tragic confession of failure by an administration that seems increasingly overwhelmed by the very duties it swore to perform.
“Behind every abducted child is a mother unable to sleep, a father battling despair, siblings living in fear, and a community traumatised by uncertainty,” he stated.
“These children are not numbers on a government spreadsheet. They are the hopes of families. They are the future of our nation. Every hour they spend in captivity is an hour too many,” he added.
Atiku further warned that persistent insecurity has created widespread fear among Nigerians.
“Today, many Nigerian parents budget for ransom the same way they budget for school fees. Farmers fear their farms. Travellers fear the highways. Communities fear the night,” he said.
“A nation cannot survive when its citizens are abandoned to criminals, and its leaders respond with public relations gimmicks,” he added.
He urged Bola Tinubu to direct security and intelligence agencies to deploy all available resources toward securing the release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
“The government must stop treating these tragedies as routine news items. The captors must be hunted down, arrested, prosecuted, and made examples of.
“There must be consequences for those who prey on innocent Nigerians. Anything less will only embolden other criminal gangs and place more communities in danger,” he said.
Atiku maintained that many Nigerians are increasingly dissatisfied with what they view as insufficient efforts to address insecurity.
“A government that cannot protect schoolchildren has failed one of the most basic tests of leadership,” he said.
“A government that responds to abductions with rice instead of rescue operations sends a dangerous signal that it has run out of ideas. If this administration can no longer guarantee the safety of Nigerian children, then it should have the humility to admit its failure rather than insult grieving families with token palliatives,” he added.
He concluded by calling for the immediate and safe return of all those abducted.
“Bring the children home. Bring their teachers home. Arrest their captors. Secure our schools. Restore confidence in the ability of the state to protect its citizens. Anything less is unacceptable,” Atiku said.
