Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Tinubu to admit failure if he has failed in rescuing the primary school pupils and teachers recently abducted in Oyo State.
The former VP’s call follows a distressing security breach where gunmen ambushed and abducted several students and teachers from a public primary school in Oyo State. The incident has reignited nationwide outrage and heightened anxiety over the persistent vulnerability of educational institutions to banditry and mass kidnappings.
In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku expressed deep empathy for the affected families while lambasting the current administration’s approach to security.
He noted that the recurring targeting of schools indicates that the federal government’s intelligence and defensive strategies remain severely compromised.
The former presidential candidate maintained that protecting the lives and property of citizens is the primary constitutional responsibility of any government.
He argued that when a government repeatedly fails to secure vulnerable children within their classrooms, it abdicates its core mandate and loses the moral authority to claim leadership.
Atiku pushed back against routine government condemnations and theoretical assurances, stating that Nigerians are exhausted by empty rhetoric while criminals operate with impunity.
He demanded a swift, tactical intelligence deployment to track down the kidnappers and secure the hostages before harm comes to them.
The statement concluded with a direct challenge to the presidency, asserting that if the current administration lacks the strategy, political will, or capability to dismantle criminal networks and secure the civilian population, it should honestly admit its limitations to the public rather than attempting to paper over a glaring security crisis.