Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government’s approach to dealing with kidnappers, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of allowing abductors to operate with impunity.
Atiku made the comments through a statement released on Wednesday by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, hours after the presidency announced the release of schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State last Monday. The release also included another batch of students freed in Niger State and 38 worshippers abducted from a church in Kwara State, all reportedly released without payment of ransom.
Ibe said, “Under Tinubu, terrorists and bandits have become an alternative government negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their ‘compliance’.”
He added, “No serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance. No responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again.”
Atiku’s office described the presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga’s comments on the release as “a shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism.”
“Truth be told, the release of abducted Nigerians is not a trophy moment; it is a damning reminder that terrorists now operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while this administration issues press statements to save face,” the statement said.
Ibe further questioned why security agencies, if they had tracked the kidnappers in real time as claimed, did not arrest or neutralise them, asking, “Why is the government boasting about talking to terrorists instead of eliminating them? Why is kidnapping now reduced to a routine phone call between criminals and state officials?”
Atiku’s remarks highlight growing criticism of the government’s handling of kidnappings, as the country continues to face escalating insecurity across multiple states.
