Atiku Decries Insecurity Under Tinubu, Says Parents  Budget For Ransom Like School Fees 

 

 

By Rotela Oguns

 

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has lamented the growing spate of insecurity spreading across the country under the watch of President Bola Tinubu.

 

Atiku noted that, from being an emergency, insecurity has become  “a way of life”.

 

The ex-VP stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday  by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication.

 

According to the statement, Atiku described the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, as a tragic reminder of the country’s deteriorating security situation.

 

Atiku claimed that  many parents now set aside money for ransom payments just as they do for their children’s school fees.

 

 

“Under the Tinubu administration, insecurity has ceased to be an emergency and has become a way of life,” Atiku said.

 

The former Vice President described as insensitive the purported distribution of bags of rice and other palliatives to families of the abducted pupils and teachers. government officials offered

 

“The cruelty of such a response is difficult to comprehend. Parents whose children have been torn from their arms are not asking for rice,” he said.

 

 

“What these families need is action. What they need is leadership. What they need is a government capable of rescuing their children and bringing the criminals responsible to justice.”

 

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the government’s response amounted to an abdication of responsibility at a time when families were desperate for the safe return of their loved ones.

 

Atiku said every kidnapping leaves behind traumatised parents, fearful siblings and communities gripped by uncertainty.

 

“These children are not numbers on a government spreadsheet. They are the hopes of families. They are the future of our nation,” he said.

 

 

 

“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, and its leaders respond with public relations gimmicks.

 

“The government must stop treating these tragedies as routine news items. The captors must be hunted down, arrested, prosecuted, and made examples of.

 

“A government that cannot protect schoolchildren has failed one of the most basic tests of leadership.”

 

 

He called on Tinubu to direct security and intelligence agencies to deploy all available resources toward securing the unconditional release of the abducted pupils and teachers.

 

Peoplestemplate had reported how bandits attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School in Ogbomoso, all located in Oriire LGA, abducting 39 people, including teachers and students.

 

One of the victims, a mathematics teacher, identified as Michael Oyedokun was beheaded days after the abduction.

 

The gruesome development was captured in a video released by the bandits which has since become viral.