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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Tinubu Aide Labels Critics of Ex-Minister's Family Rescue as 'Terrorists'

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A presidential aide described critics of the swift rescue of a former minister's family as terrorists.
  • The family, including the ex-minister's sister and her twin sons, were abducted on June 3 and rescued on June 6.
  • Critics raised concerns about perceived disparities in response times for high-profile victims compared to ordinary citizens.

Dada Olusegun, a Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, has strongly condemned individuals questioning the rapid rescue of the family of former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu. Olusegun likened the mindset of these critics to that of terrorists, asserting that anyone unhappy about the recovery of a woman and her children, and who promotes conspiracy theories, exhibits a terrorist mentality.

If you find yourself unhappy about the rescue of a woman and her children and jump on every conspiracy to try and downplay the efforts of law enforcement, just know you’re already a terrorist.

— Dada OlusegunSpecial Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, criticizing those who questioned the rescue.

The family members, identified as Olaide Adegoke, Adelabu's sister, and her twin sons, were abducted on June 3 in Ibadan, Oyo State. They were successfully freed on June 6, a swift operation that drew praise from some quarters but also criticism regarding response times in kidnapping cases.

Olusegun specifically targeted those he accused of politicizing the incident, labeling them "soulless" and suggesting they were exploiting the kidnapping for political gain. He argued that these individuals did not genuinely care about victims of other kidnappings, such as those in Ogbomoso, and were using Adelabu's family's misfortune as "political cannon fodder."

Like I said, these soulless individuals do not care about the kidnapped kids in Ogbomoso, and this particular cretin couldn’t contain his joy over Adelabu’s sister and kids being kidnapped.

— Dada OlusegunAccusing critics of politicizing the kidnapping for personal or political gain.

Pushing back against comparisons to the opposition's past criticisms of insecurity, Olusegun stated that his party never celebrated the misfortunes of opponents when in opposition. He accused the current critics of lacking humanity and justifying their stance by pointing to alleged past actions of others. The rescue has indeed sparked debate online, with some commending the police's efficiency while others point to perceived preferential treatment for high-profile cases over those involving ordinary citizens in Oyo State.

Never in our time in opposition did we celebrate gleefully and shamelessly the misfortunes of those who don’t agree with us.

— Dada OlusegunResponding to claims that the current administration also criticized insecurity while in opposition.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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