Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the federal government for its handling of recent kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger States, arguing that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is being too lenient with kidnappers, stressing that the kidnappers are still free.
Atiku’s remarks were made in a statement from his media aide, Paul Ibe, shortly after the Presidency announced the release of kidnapped schoolgirls in Kebbi State, students in Niger State, and 38 worshippers in Kwara State, claiming they were freed without any ransom paid.
He stated that the government should not be celebrating while the kidnappers responsible for these incidents are still free.
The statement read: “Under Tinubu, terrorists and bandits have effectively become an alternative government.
“They negotiate, receive ransoms, and walk away unscathed, while the presidency boasts about their so-called cooperation.”
Atiku emphasized that no serious nation would take pride in negotiating with criminals it claims to be monitoring.
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Ibe pointed out that it is shameful for the government to allow kidnappers to return to the forests only to abduct more Nigerians.
Atiku also challenged the assertions made by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who claimed that the DSS and military tracked the kidnappers and made contact with them.
He stated that if this were true, the failure to apprehend or neutralize these criminals is “a national disgrace that implies complicity.”
He characterized Onanuga’s statement as an attempt to obscure a tragedy and frame governmental failure as an accomplishment.
Atiku insisted that the release of kidnapped individuals should not be viewed as a cause for celebration but rather as an indication that kidnappers now operate openly, dictate their terms, and compel the government to negotiate.
He questioned why the government is boasting about communicating with terrorists instead of taking action to stop them, and why kidnapping has become merely a phone call between criminals and state officials.
