Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), , on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Federal Government over the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, declaring that insecurity has ceased to be an emergency and has become a way of life under President .
Atiku, who expressed outrage over the latest kidnapping incident, described reports that government officials were sent to affected families with bags of rice and other palliatives as insensitive and evidence of leadership failure.
In a statement issued in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said parents whose children remain in captivity are not asking for food items but urgent action to secure their release.
“The cruelty of such a response is difficult to comprehend. Parents whose children have been torn from their arms are not asking for rice. 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,” he said.
Atiku lamented that Nigeria has gradually descended into a country where innocent lives appear to matter little, while those entrusted with power continue to offer what he described as propaganda and token gestures instead of practical solutions.
According to him, it is a damning indictment of the current administration that schoolchildren can be abducted from their classrooms while the government’s response is the distribution of relief materials.
“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,” he stated.
The former Vice President said every kidnapping leaves behind emotional scars on families and communities, stressing that the abducted children are not mere statistics but the hopes and future of the nation.
He warned that the normalization of insecurity has pushed Nigerians into a dangerous reality where fear now defines daily life.
“Today, many Nigerian parents budget for ransom the same way they budget for school fees. Farmers fear their farms. Travelers fear the highways. Communities fear the night. Yet those in power continue to congratulate themselves while innocent Nigerians bear the consequences of their incompetence,” he said.
Atiku called on President Tinubu to immediately direct security and intelligence agencies to deploy all available resources towards the safe and unconditional release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
He also demanded the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the crime, warning that failure to punish perpetrators would only embolden other criminal groups.
“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,” he said.
Maintaining that Nigerians are tired of excuses and endless promises, Atiku argued that any government unable to protect schoolchildren has failed one of the most basic tests of leadership.
“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.
The ADC presidential candidate insisted that nothing should be more important to the government at this time than securing the release of the victims.
“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 declared.
