The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to apply the same operational strategy that secured the release of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State to rescue victims still held captive in Kwara and Borno states.
This came as the party said that every Nigerian citizen deserves equal attention regardless of location .
The opposition party’s demand follows President Tinubu’s revelation on Thursday while receiving Oyo State traditional rulers led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The President disclosed that his administration rejected negotiations with kidnappers and instead tracked the families and communities of the abductors, refusing to pay ransom .
“We refused to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested. That was one of their conditions, outside of the money they were looking for,” Tinubu told the delegation.
“And we said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals. They committed murder, and we were ready to finish with their families, members of their own communities. They grew up somewhere” .
While welcoming the rescue of pupils, teachers and other victims abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State after 56 days in captivity, the ADC said the successful operation should not overshadow the plight of other Nigerians who had remained in captivity for months .
“The pupils abducted in Borno State in May this year remain in captivity, while more than 100 people kidnapped in Kaiama, Kwara State, are still in the den of kidnappers several months after,” the ADC said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi .
“We believe that the suffering of these victims deserves the same urgency, determination as well as the national and international attention that brought the Oriire victims home” .
The party argued that if the Federal Government possesses the intelligence network, operational capacity and political resolve to rescue the Oriire victims without yielding to kidnappers’ demands, the same strategy should be deployed in Kwara, Borno and other states where Nigerians remained in captivity .
“The rescue in Oriire should not stand as an exceptional story that government recounts with pride. It should be the standard by which every response to kidnapping is measured,” the party stated .
The ADC also cautioned the government against becoming accustomed to measuring success by the number of rescue operations conducted.
“Every successful rescue is worth celebrating. But every kidnapping is also a reminder that the primary duty of government is to ensure that citizens are not abducted in the first place. What we must not do is to get accustomed to measuring success by the number of rescue operations this government conducts,” Abdullahi said .
The party expressed concern that insecurity had become a recurring feature of daily life under the current administration, warning that persistent abductions were eroding public confidence and slowing economic development.
“We cannot achieve meaningful economic growth, attract investment or build public confidence while kidnapping remains a recurring feature of national life,” the ADC said .
The ADC called on the Federal Government to move beyond reactive responses by adopting a comprehensive security strategy focused on improving intelligence gathering, strengthening inter-agency collaboration, addressing the root causes of insecurity, and restoring effective state presence in vulnerable communities .
“Every life matters equally. No victim should be forgotten because they are voiceless or lack vocal champions to keep their story on the headlines and national focus,” the party concluded .
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