Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, describing the incident as yet another grim reminder that insecurity under the Tinubu administration has become a prolonged national crisis rather than an emergency requiring urgent action.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku criticised what he called the government’s “moral bankruptcy and alarming cluelessness,” particularly the reported decision to dispatch officials with bags of rice and other palliatives to families whose children remain in captivity.

“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 they need is action, leadership, and a government capable of rescuing their children and bringing those responsible to justice,” he said.

Atiku lamented what he described as the steady erosion of the value placed on human life, accusing the authorities of substituting concrete security action with propaganda and symbolic gestures.

“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. It is an abdication of responsibility. It is a confession of failure by an administration that appears increasingly overwhelmed by its most basic duties,” he stated.

The former Vice President stressed that every kidnapping leaves behind emotional wounds that cannot be captured in statistics or official reports.

“These children are not numbers. They are the hopes of families and the future of our nation. Every hour they spend in captivity is one too many. Every day without their rescue deepens the pain of families and communities already pushed to the edge,” he said.

Atiku warned that the normalisation of insecurity has pushed Nigerians into a state of fear and uncertainty, where survival has become a daily struggle.

“Today, many Nigerian parents budget for ransom the same way they budget for school fees. Farmers fear their farms. Travellers fear the highways. Communities fear the night.
“A nation cannot survive when its citizens are abandoned to criminals while leadership responds with public relations gimmicks,” he added.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately direct all security and intelligence agencies to deploy every available resource toward securing the unconditional release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
“The government must stop treating these tragedies as routine incidents. The perpetrators must be tracked, arrested, and prosecuted decisively. Anything less will embolden criminal networks and endanger more communities,” he said.

Atiku further urged the administration to confront what he described as a deepening crisis of public trust in its capacity to protect citizens.

“A government that cannot protect schoolchildren has failed in its most fundamental duty.
“If it can no longer guarantee the safety of Nigerian children, it should acknowledge that failure rather than compound public anguish with token gestures,” he stated.

He concluded by demanding the immediate and safe release of the abducted pupils and teachers, insisting that their rescue must remain the government’s highest priority.
“Bring the children home. Bring their teachers home. Dismantle their captors. Secure our schools. Restore confidence in the state’s ability to protect its citizens. Anything less is unacceptable,” he said.