The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the Federal Government’s response to the renewed wave of mass abductions in the North, warning that shutting down schools would amount to “a complete surrender to terrorists.”

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the recent kidnapping of 25 students in Kebbi State and 315 students and staff in Niger State reflects a disturbing escalation of insecurity under the Tinubu-led administration.

The opposition party accused the government of adopting a “lackadaisical and simplistic approach” by considering school closures instead of presenting a clear, coordinated security strategy.

“Under the APC-led Tinubu Administration, Nigerians have witnessed a spate of kidnappings in Northern Nigeria. Each incident leaves behind sorrow, fear and anguish,” the party said. “We warn that closing schools will amount to a complete surrender to terrorists whose aim is to halt children’s education. If schools are shut, the terrorists’ goal will have been achieved.”

The PDP insisted that what Nigeria needs is a comprehensive and intelligence-driven strategy to secure learning environments, not what it described as “quick-fix solutions for political optics.”

The party noted that shutting down schools would worsen Nigeria’s education crisis, especially in the North where, according to UNICEF, 18.3 million children are out of school.

“This data paints a grim picture,” Ememobong said. “A closure of schools will certainly exacerbate the already challenging educational situation in Northern Nigeria.”

The PDP also criticised what it described as the President’s “lacklustre and unempathetic response” to the crisis. Instead of visiting affected states, the party said, President Tinubu “merely directed the Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi.”

“A comparison of the high-level delegations sent to the US Congress and the G20 meeting with Matawalle’s lone deployment shows the levity with which the presidency treats this matter,” the party added.

The PDP urged the Federal Government to immediately fund and implement the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, which emphasises community intelligence and rapid-response systems.

“Insecurity in schools will be a major disincentive to education in the country,” the party warned.

The opposition reminded the government that the protection of lives and property remains its primary responsibility.

“At any time government is unwilling, unable, or incapable of executing this primary role, such a government must either ask for help—locally or internationally—or honourably resign,” the PDP said.