The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to apply the same security commitment that led to the rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, to free other Nigerians still in captivity in Kwara, Borno, and other parts of the country.
Reacting to the president’s remarks on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the Oyo operation should not be treated as an isolated case but should become the standard response to kidnapping across Nigeria, irrespective of the location or language of the victims.
The ADC wondered why the authorities had not applied the same strategy to rescue other victims who had fallen victims much longer and had continued to languish in kidnappers’ den till today if the Federal Government has the intelligence network, the operational capacity and the political resolve to bring the victims in Oriire home without yielding to the demands of kidnappers.
The party urged the president to ensure that the same intelligence, surveillance and operational determination deployed in Oriire are immediately brought to bear in Kwara, Borno and every other state where Nigerians remain in captivity, stressing that “No family should have to wonder whether the urgency of government depends on where tragedy happens.”
“The African Democratic Congress has taken note of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s remarks on Thursday while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
In celebrating the rescue of the pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, the President disclosed that his administration rejected negotiations with the kidnappers and instead relied on security operations that eventually secured the victims’ freedom, including targeting the families of the kidnappers.
“Every Nigerian should be delighted with the outcome of this bold strategy by the Federal Government. Every life rescued from the hands of kidnappers is a victory for the country. Every family reunited with loved ones deserves relief. But the success of that operation also raises a question that cannot be ignored….
“As at today, there are still hundred of families in Kwara State who still wake up every day not knowing whether their loved ones are alive. There are still communities in Borno that are still waiting for their loved ones to return. Across Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Benue and other parts of the country, countless families continue to wait for the phone call that never comes, the rescue that never arrives, or simply some assurance that their government has not moved on. Those families ask for no special treatment. They ask only for equal humanity and equal citizenship.
“The President told the kidnappers in Oriire, “No deal.” He must demonstrate equal resolve and send equally unmistakable message and give real hope to families still waiting for a son, daughter, husband, wife or parent that the government has not forgotten them.
The rescue in Oriire should not stand as an exceptional story that government recounts with pride. It should be the standard by which every response to kidnapping is measured. This is the only way to settle an argument that should no longer be necessary, which is whether President Tinubu considers some kidnapping victims more important than others.
“As salutary as the Oriire rescue operation is, the real measure of a government should not be whether it succeeds on a particular incident. It is whether the government has put in place measures and developed the capacity to ensure that Nigerians are no longer easy targets for kidnappers and when it does happen, Nigerians, regardless of where they live, can expect the government will get them out regardless of what part of the country they reside.”
