KEY POINTS

• Atiku criticises Kebbi schoolgirls rescue as inadequate.
  
• His statement questions the government’s security claims.
  
• The incident exposes gaps in Nigeria’s response strategy.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Federal Government’s management of the recent release of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State, asserting that this event should not be perceived as a victory but rather as an indication of the country’s increasing insecurity.

Atiku criticises Kebbi schoolgirls rescue

Atiku’s statements, released via his media office on Wednesday, countered those from the government that characterized the rescue as a collaborative success of security forces. He stated that the girls’ rescue from captivity is “not a trophy moment,” but rather emphasizes the unrestrained actions of armed organizations, who negotiate openly and dictate the conditions of engagement, while officials merely “issue press statements to save face.”

His statement came after an interview with Bayo Onanuga, the Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, on Arise News TV. Onanuga indicated that the Department of State Services and the military had surveilled the kidnappers in real time and communicated with them to secure the release without the payment of ransom. He asserted that security forces must have knowledge of the identities and pathways of the bandits active in the region, yet are constrained by the potential danger to citizens residing near the hideouts or being held captive.

Fallout from Atiku criticises Kebbi schoolgirls rescue

The security personnel are aware of all the bandits working in that area. They are acquainted with them. Onanuga stated that they are aware of their operational areas, emphasizing that soldiers cannot launch strikes without assessing the risks to surrounding communities or hostages.

Atiku dismissed that rationale, characterizing it as an endeavor to “sanitize a national catastrophe and disguise governmental ineptitude as valor.” He inquired why, if agents possessed real-time tracking and maintained communication, the abductors were not apprehended or neutralized on-site. He condemned what he saw as a government that “prides itself on engaging with terrorists rather than eradicating them,” asserting that the prevailing trend indicates armed factions “have assumed an alternative authority, negotiating, extorting ransom, and evading consequences.”

According to Punch, the assault transpired on November 17, when armed assailants invaded Government Girls’ Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. A staff member was murdered, and 25 students were stolen from their dormitories. One girl fled shortly thereafter, while the other 24 were detained for several days until their release on Tuesday.

President Bola Tinubu expressed his approval of the development in a statement issued by Onanuga. He conveyed relief that the girls had been located and praised security services for what the presidency characterized as a coordinated effort that prevented ransom payments.