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Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying insecurity has become a normal part of daily life for many Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku cited the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, as evidence of the country’s worsening security challenges.
The victims were kidnapped on May 15 after gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to Atiku, the growing wave of kidnappings has forced many families to begin factoring potential ransom payments into their household budgets, much like they plan for school fees and other essential expenses.
He also condemned reports that government officials distributed rice and other relief items to families of the abducted victims, arguing that such measures failed to address the urgent need for the safe return of the kidnapped children and teachers.
Atiku further stated that affected families required decisive action, effective leadership and a security response capable of rescuing the victims and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Under the Tinubu administration, insecurity has ceased to be an emergency and has become a way of life,” Atiku said.
“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 added.
Atiku argued that the government’s handling of such incidents reflected a failure to meet its responsibility to protect citizens, adding that every kidnapping leaves families traumatised and communities living in fear. He said schoolchildren should not be reduced to statistics, stressing that they represent the hopes of their families and the future of the country.
He further lamented what he described as a growing climate of fear across the country, with farmers worried about returning to their fields, travellers anxious about highway journeys and communities living under the constant threat of criminal attacks.
He called on the Nigerian government to treat kidnappings and other security threats with greater urgency, insisting that those behind such crimes should be tracked down, arrested and prosecuted.
“These children are not numbers on a government spreadsheet. They are the hopes of families. They are the future of our nation,” he said.
Atiku urged President Tinubu to direct security and intelligence agencies to deploy all available resources toward securing the release of the abducted pupils and teachers, adding that many Nigerians were becoming increasingly frustrated by what they see as the government’s inability to guarantee the safety of lives and property.
