Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately deploy all security and intelligence agencies to secure the unconditional release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, describing the incident as a tragic failure of leadership.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President condemned reports that government officials visited affected families with bags of rice and other palliatives, insisting that such gestures were insensitive and inadequate in the face of the tragedy.
According to Atiku, families whose children have been abducted are not seeking handouts but urgent and decisive action from the government.
“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,” he said.
He stressed that what the affected families need is leadership, swift rescue operations, and justice for those responsible for the abduction.
Atiku described the incident as another indication of the worsening security situation across the country, arguing that insecurity under the current administration has evolved from a national emergency into a disturbing norm.
“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,” he stated.
The former Vice President warned against the normalisation of insecurity, noting that many Nigerians now live under constant fear and uncertainty.
He further called for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the abduction, stressing that failure to hold perpetrators accountable would only embolden criminal groups and expose more communities to danger.
“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,” Atiku warned.
He maintained that Nigerians are increasingly frustrated by what he described as excuses and rhetoric from government officials, insisting that protecting citizens—especially schoolchildren—remains one of the most fundamental responsibilities of any administration.
Atiku urged the Federal Government to focus its efforts on securing the safe return of the victims and restoring public confidence in the nation’s security architecture.
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