Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the recent release of 24 Kebbi female students by security operatives, raising concerns about the government’s handling of national security.
Through a statement shared by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku questioned why the kidnappers were neither arrested nor neutralised, despite claims that security agencies had established contact with them, which facilitated the release of the schoolgirls.
Questions on Security Agencies’ Role
The statement, titled “Atiku to Tinubu: Nigerians Need Protection, Not Fairy Tales By Moonlight”, was directed at comments made by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, on Arise News TV.
Atiku described Onanuga’s remarks on the schoolgirls’ 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 read.
Atiku asked pointed questions regarding the government’s security response: “If the DSS and the military could track the kidnappers in real time and made contact with them, then why were these criminals not arrested, neutralised, or dismantled on the spot? Why is the government boasting about talking to terrorists instead of eliminating them?”
Criticism of Government Handling
The former vice president argued that the current administration has effectively allowed terrorists and bandits to become an alternative government, negotiating and collecting ransom while remaining untouched.
“No serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance,” he said.
He further condemned the administration for attempting to spin incompetence into achievement, warning that if security agencies truly had eyes on the kidnappers, letting them escape is “a national disgrace that smacks of complicity.”
If they did not, Onanuga is “simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership.”
Atiku concluded that Nigerians deserve protection, not what he termed “fairy tales by moonlight.”
