Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritise the rescue of abducted schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo State rather than offering palliatives to their families, insisting that what the grieving parents needed was the safe return of their loved ones, not bags of rice.
The position was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on behalf of the former vice president.
In the statement, Atiku described the incident as a painful reminder that insecurity under the current administration had become a permanent reality rather than an emergency requiring urgent intervention.
He condemned reports that government officials were dispatched with bags of rice and other relief materials to families of the abducted pupils and teachers, describing the move as insensitive and inadequate.
“Nothing captures the moral bankruptcy and alarming cluelessness of the current administration more than the reported decision to dispatch officials bearing bags of rice and other palliatives to families whose children and loved ones remain in the hands of kidnappers,” Atiku said.
“The cruelty of such a response is difficult to comprehend. Parents whose children have been torn from their arms are not asking for rice. Mothers who do not know whether their children are hungry, sick, traumatized, or even alive are not demanding palliatives. Fathers who wake up every morning praying for a phone call announcing the safe return of their children are not looking for handouts.
“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.”
The former vice president lamented what he described as Nigeria’s gradual descent into a country where the lives of innocent citizens appear to matter less while those in authority continue to offer “propaganda and token gestures” instead of practical solutions.
“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.
“This is not governance. This is an abdication of responsibility. It is a tragic confession of failure by an administration that seems increasingly overwhelmed by the very duties it swore to perform,” he stated.
Atiku argued that beyond statistics and headlines, every kidnapping leaves deep emotional scars on families and communities.
“Behind every abducted child is a mother unable to sleep, a father battling despair, siblings living in fear, and a community traumatized by uncertainty.
“These children are not numbers on a government spreadsheet. They are the hopes of families. They are the future of our nation. Every hour they spend in captivity is an hour too many. Every day that passes without their rescue is a stain on the conscience of those charged with protecting them.”
He further warned that the growing normalisation of insecurity had pushed Nigerians into a dangerous situation where fear had become part of daily life.
“Today, many Nigerian parents budget for ransom the same way they budget for school fees. Farmers fear their farms. Travelers fear the highways. Communities fear the night.
“Yet those in power continue to congratulate themselves while innocent Nigerians bear the consequences of their incompetence. A nation cannot survive when its citizens are abandoned to criminals and its leaders respond with public relations gimmicks,” he said.
The former vice president called on President Tinubu to immediately direct security and intelligence agencies to deploy every available resource towards securing the unconditional release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
“The government must stop treating these tragedies as routine news items. The captors must be hunted down, arrested, prosecuted, and made examples of.
“There must be consequences for those who prey on innocent Nigerians. Anything less will only embolden other criminal gangs and place more communities in danger,” he stated.
Atiku maintained that Nigerians had grown weary of explanations and rhetoric, insisting that the government’s primary responsibility is the protection of lives and property.
“A government that cannot protect schoolchildren has failed one of the most basic tests of leadership.
“A government that responds to abductions with rice instead of rescue operations sends a dangerous signal that it has run out of ideas. If this administration can no longer guarantee the safety of Nigerian children, then it should have the humility to admit its failure rather than insult grieving families with token palliatives.”
He concluded by demanding the immediate and safe release of the abducted pupils and their teachers, insisting that no issue should take precedence over their rescue.
“Bring the children home. Bring their teachers home. Arrest their captors. Secure our schools. Restore confidence in the ability of the state to protect its citizens.
“Anything less is unacceptable,” Atiku declared.
