Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government for celebrating the release of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State, insisting their freedom should not be celebrated as an achievement but viewed as further proof of Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media office, Atiku said the return of the girls was “not a trophy moment” but “a damning reminder that terrorists now operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while this administration issues press statements to save face.”
His remarks follow comments made by Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, during an interview on Arise News TV, where Onanuga highlighted the role of the Department of State Services and the military in tracking the kidnappers in real time and establishing contact to secure the students’ release without paying ransom.
Onanuga said security agencies often have sufficient intelligence on bandit operations but must act cautiously to avoid harming civilians living around the criminals’ strongholds.
“Our people are living around where they operate. So you can’t just go there. They need to be very careful that in the course of chasing these bandits, they don’t go and bomb innocent Nigerians,” he said.
But Atiku rejected that explanation, describing it as “a shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism.”
“If, as Onanuga claims, the DSS and the military could ‘track’ the kidnappers in real time and ‘made contact’ with them, the question is simple: Why were these criminals not arrested, neutralised or dismantled on the spot? Why is the government boasting about talking to terrorists instead of eliminating them?” he asked.
He argued that the administration’s statements suggest that “terrorists and bandits have become an alternative government, negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched, while the presidency celebrates their compliance.”
“No serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance. No responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again,” Atiku added.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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