Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government over the rescue of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State, insisting that their release should not be celebrated but viewed as further evidence of Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
In a statement issued by his media office on Wednesday, Atiku faulted comments made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, who had described the girls’ release as a security success during an appearance on Arise News.
Atiku described Onanuga’s remarks as a “shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism.”
He questioned Onanuga’s claim that security agencies tracked and contacted the kidnappers in real time, arguing that such intelligence should have resulted in the arrest or neutralisation of the abductors — not negotiations.
“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,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President stressed that if the DSS and military were truly monitoring the kidnappers in real time, then allowing them to escape amounted to a failure of duty and a national embarrassment.
He noted that the recurring cycle of abductions, ransom payments, and unhindered exits for criminals has emboldened terrorists who now “negotiate, collect ransom, and walk away untouched,” while officials attempt to frame these outcomes as progress.
Atiku added that no serious nation congratulates itself for negotiating with criminals it claims to have under surveillance, insisting that the government has lost control of national security and is relying on propaganda to mask its shortcomings.
“Under Tinubu, terrorists and bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their ‘compliance’,” he said.
He concluded by stating that allowing abductors to simply return to the forests after negotiations “is a national disgrace that smacks of complicity,” urging government officials to “stop insulting Nigerians with propaganda” at a time when the country desperately needs genuine protection.
