Atiku Abubakar Accuses Presidency of Laziness Over Oyo Schoolchildren Rescue Claim
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the presidency for alleging that he remained silent on the rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State. He described the claim as a distortion of facts that collapses under the weight of documentary evidence.
In a statement issued by his senior special assistant on public communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said there are only two possible explanations for the presidency’s latest outburst. Either officials failed to read his statement because they were too lazy, or they deliberately ignored it because it exposed uncomfortable truths about their misplaced priorities.
Atiku pointed out that, contrary to the false narrative being circulated, he had issued a comprehensive press statement earlier the same day titled ‘A Nation at War Needs a Commander‑in‑Chief, Not a Campaigner‑in‑Chief’. In that statement he welcomed the rescue of the children, commended the gallantry of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, and called for sustained efforts to rescue every Nigerian still in captivity.
He quoted from the earlier release: “The rescue of innocent schoolchildren from the hands of terrorists is a victory for our gallant troops and a source of hope for every Nigerian family. They deserve the gratitude of the nation.”
The former vice president also stressed that the successful rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren should not distract the nation from the painful reality that many other Nigerians, including abducted schoolchildren and innocent citizens in Borno and several other parts of the country, remain in captivity.
He warned that one successful rescue must not become an excuse for self‑congratulation. “A nation cannot celebrate while other parents still go to bed not knowing whether their children are alive or dead. Our work is not done until every abducted Nigerian is safely reunited with his or her family,” he said, urging the federal government to sustain relentless pressure on terrorists, bandits and kidnappers until every abducted Nigerian is freed and every community under siege regains peace and security.
Atiku concluded that the reproduced excerpts expose the presidency’s allegation as entirely false. “The facts are now before Nigerians. We did not only congratulate the security agencies; we praised their courage, professionalism and sacrifice in unmistakable terms. What we declined to do was to applaud a commander‑in‑chief who, at a defining moment of national importance, remained publicly preoccupied with partisan political activities instead of personally leading the nation in celebrating the success of our troops and reassuring families whose loved ones remain in captivity.”
He added that no amount of propaganda can erase the fundamental questions raised in his earlier statement: when will the children abducted in Borno and other innocent citizens across the country regain their freedom? A government secure in its performance responds to legitimate concerns with facts and results, not propaganda.
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