Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the way his government has handled the recent mass abductions in the country following comments made by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Onanuga, in a televised interview on ARISE News Prime Time, revealed that security agencies are fully aware of the identities and locations of the bandit groups behind recent mass abductions, including the attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State.

Onanuga said security operatives possess the required intelligence but face operational limitations due to the presence of civilians held by the bandits.

“The security people, they know all the bandits that are operating in that axis. They know them. They know where they operate,” he stated.

He also added that the government could not simply order airstrikes on the known hideouts because civilian populations live close to the targeted areas, stating that “Our people are living around where they operate, so you can’t just go there. They need to be very careful that in the course of chasing these bandits, they don’t go and bomb innocent Nigerians.”

But Atiku, through his media camp, described Onanuga’s statement as a “shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy” and “dress up government incompetence as heroism.”

Atiku also noted that Onanuga’s statement is “an embarrassing admission that this administration has lost control of national security” and “is now trying to spin incompetence into achievement.”

According to Atiku, the release of abducted citizens should never be celebrated as a victory.

Instead, he argued, it shows the government’s inability to protect Nigerians and its increasing reliance on negotiation with terrorists who “now operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms.”

The former Vice President stated, “The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga’s comments on Arise News TV yesterday on the freedom of the Kebbi schoolgirls is, to say the least, 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.

“If, as Onanuga claims, the DSS and the military could “track” the kidnappers in real time and “made contact” with them, then the question is simple: 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?
Why is kidnapping now reduced to a routine phone call between criminals and state officials?
This irresponsible and reckless narrative exposes the truth:

“Under Tinubu, terrorrist/bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their “compliance.”

“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.
Onanuga and his ilk should stop insulting Nigerians with propaganda.

“If the security agencies truly had eyes on the kidnappers, then letting them escape is a national disgrace that smacks of complicity.

“And if they did not have such capacity, then Onanuga is simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership.

“Either way, the statement is an embarrassing admission that this administration has lost control of national security and is now trying to spin incompetence into achievement. Nigerians deserve protection, not fairy tales by moonlight!”