Peter Obi, former Anambra governor and presidential hopeful under the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has fired a fresh salvo at President Bola Tinubu’s administration over its response to the recent Oyo State school abduction, insisting he would have taken far more drastic action — including venturing into the forest personally.
The controversial remark came during a live television interview on Afia TV’s Eastern Eye programme, where Obi did not hold back in condemning what he called a lack of presidential urgency.
The abduction in Oriire, Oyo State, which occurred on May 15, 2026, saw dozens of pupils and their teachers held captive for 56 harrowing days before security agencies secured their release in July.
Obi expressed disbelief that the President did not reach out to Governor Seyi Makinde throughout the ordeal.
“Days of kidnap of Oyo children. The President did not call the governor. What do you mean? Fifty days,” Obi said, his voice laden with frustration.
He went further, painting a picture of how he would have handled the crisis differently.
“But I’ll be there in two days. Is the bush not in Nigeria? That bush they went in. The bush is in Nigeria,” he declared.
“Everybody in that bush will come out. Everybody. There might be casualties but everybody will come out.”
Beyond the abduction itself, Obi took aim at the culture of secrecy he claims envelops Nigeria’s security apparatus.
He argued that successful operations should be showcased publicly to build citizen trust, drawing comparisons with Western nations.
“And it is time when we say we resolve something. We arrest some people. Parade the people. Let people see them. What is happening?” he queried.
“When America or other countries kill people like that, they parade them. They show it. Everybody sees it. In Nigeria, everything is shrouded in secrecy,” Obi lamented.
To back his tough-talk, Obi reached into his past as governor of Anambra State, recounting how he personally authorised and supervised operations to clear criminal hideouts in forests across the state.
He revealed that he had consulted then-President Olusegun Obasanjo before taking action against one particularly notorious forest, making it clear that he would not tolerate safe havens for criminals under his watch.
He also claimed that several high-profile criminals met their end during those operations.
The presidential aspirant rounded off his interview with a philosophical take on leadership, insisting that anyone seeking the nation’s top job must be prepared for the ultimate sacrifice.
“No way. It’s either I’m in charge or you people are in charge. I go home. One person must be in charge,” Obi stated emphatically.
“And if you’re in charge, if you want to lead, you should be ready to die. If you don’t want to, you go home. One must be
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