Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over what he described as its failure to safeguard Nigerians, warning that terrorists and bandits have effectively become an “alternative government” under the current leadership.
Atiku, in a statement on Wednesday, faulted remarks made by Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, regarding the Department of State Services’ interaction with terrorists during the release of abducted Kebbi schoolgirls.
He questioned why the perpetrators were neither arrested nor neutralised.
The statement reads, “The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga’s comments on Arise News TV yesterday (Tuesday) 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.”
He continued, “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.”
Atiku argued that if, as Onanuga claimed, the DSS and the military were able to track the kidnappers in real time and make contact with them, then the failure to apprehend or neutralise them raises serious concerns. “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?”
According to him, “This irresponsible and reckless narrative exposes the truth: Under Tinubu, terrorists/bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their ‘compliance.’”
Atiku added that no responsible nation praises itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to be monitoring. “No responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again.”
He accused government officials of misleading Nigerians. “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.”
He continued, “And if they did not have such capacity, then Onanuga is simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership.”
Atiku concluded, “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.”
