Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised remarks made by President Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, concerning the release of citizens previously abducted by terrorists.
Reacting on Wednesday, Atiku described Onanuga’s statement as “shameful.” He questioned why the government did not arrest or neutralise the terrorists, noting that negotiating with criminals suggests they can “operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while the Tinubu administration lets them walk away freely.”
Atiku condemned what he called the government’s “irresponsible and condemnable propaganda” in congratulating itself for negotiating with terrorists and allowing them to return to the forests unpunished.
He demanded stronger action to protect Nigerians instead of engaging in what he described as national disgrace.
His statement reads, “The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga’s comments on Arise News TV yesterday on the freedom of the Kebbi school girls is to say the least a shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism.
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.
If, as Onanuga claims, the DSS and the military could ‘track’ the kidnappers in real time and ‘made contact’ with them, then the question is simple: 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?
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.’
No serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance. No responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again.
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.
And if they did not have such capacity, then Onanuga is simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership.
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!” he concluded.
Politics Nigeria earlier reported that 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, were rescued on Tuesday.
Onanuga, speaking on behalf of the President, praised the coordinated efforts of security agencies on Monday, which he said led to the successful release.
He stated that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the military had established direct communication with the bandits who kidnapped 38 worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, Eruku, in Kwara State, leading to the victims’ release.
