Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, has denounced President Bola Tinubu’s administration for failing to safeguard Nigerians, claiming that terrorists and robbers have turned into an alternative government.
In a statement on Wednesday, Atiku questioned why the criminals weren’t apprehended and neutralized and denounced the assertion made by Tinubu’s media representative, Bayo Onanuga, regarding the Department of State Services’ (DSS) involvement with terrorists.
“The remarks made by President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on the freedom of the Kebbi schoolgirls on Arise News TV yesterday (Tuesday) are, to put it mildly, a disgraceful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism,” the statement says.
In all honesty, the release of kidnapped Nigerians is not a moment to celebrate; rather, it serves as a stark reminder that terrorists are now free to operate, bargain, and set terms while this administration makes public pronouncements in an attempt to maintain its dignity.
If the DSS and the military could “track” the kidnappers in real time and “made contact” with them, as Onanuga maintains, then the question is straightforward: Why weren’t these criminals immediately apprehended, neutralized, or dismantled? Instead of destroying terrorists, why does the government brag about having conversations with them?
Why is kidnapping now reduced to a regular phone conversation between state authorities and criminals?
The truth is revealed by this careless and reckless narrative: under Tinubu, terrorists and robbers have taken on the role of an alternative government, negotiating, collecting ransom, and escaping punishment while the presidential administration applauds their “compliance.”
“No sane country praises itself for engaging in negotiations with terrorists it says are under observation. No reasonable administration takes pride in letting kidnappers return to the forests to commit new abductions.
“Onanuga and people like him ought to quit using propaganda to disparage Nigerians. Allowing the kidnappers to flee is a national shame that suggests cooperation if the security services actually have eyes on them.
“And if they didn’t have that ability, Onanuga is just making up stories to hide a huge leadership failure.”
In any case, the statement is a humiliating acknowledgment that this administration has lost control over national security and is now attempting to turn ineptitude into success. Atiku continued, “Nigerians need protection, not moonlit fairy tales.”
