Atiku condemns Oyo school abductions, demands rescue of victims

Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the abduction of schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria. He described the incident as a stark indicator of the nation's deteriorating security situation and a failure of the current government to effectively address insecurity.

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The cruelty of such a response is difficult to comprehend. Parents whose children have been torn from their arms are not asking for rice.

Abubakar criticized reports of officials delivering relief materials to affected families. He argued that such measures are inadequate and insensitive to the immediate plight of parents whose children are held captive. "Parents whose children have been torn from their arms are not asking for rice," Abubakar stated, emphasizing that what these families need is decisive action and capable leadership for the safe return of their children and the prosecution of the perpetrators.

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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 lamented the growing trend of insufficient responses to security challenges, stating that criminals operate with impunity while innocent children are abducted. Abubakar called the situation a "damning verdict on this government" and an "abdication of responsibility." He highlighted the profound impact of kidnappings, extending beyond statistics to traumatize families and communities.

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It is a damning verdict on this government that while criminals operate with audacity and freedom, innocent schoolchildren are abducted from their classrooms, and the official response is the distribution of rice.

"Every hour they spend in captivity is an hour too many," Abubakar declared, referring to the abducted children as the nation's future. He warned that persistent insecurity creates an atmosphere of fear, forcing Nigerian parents to budget for ransom alongside school fees, farmers to fear their land, and travelers to fear the roads. He concluded that a nation cannot survive when its citizens are abandoned to criminals and its leaders resort to public relations tactics.

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Every hour they spend in captivity is an hour too many.