APC urges Tinubu to track families of Kwara, Borno kidnappers

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja 

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged President Bola Tinubu to extend the same security measure that secured the rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, to rescuing other Nigerians who remain in captivity across Kwara, Borno and other parts of the country.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday, stated that the successful operation in Oyo should not be treated as a special case but a general standard in responding to kidnapping cases, regardless of what part of the country it occurred.

The opposition party, while noting that every life rescued from kidnappers is a victory for the country, stated that families reunited with loved ones deserve relief. It pointed out that the success of the Oyo rescue operation also raises a question that cannot be ignored.

The statement read: “The ADC has taken note of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s remarks on Thursday, while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“In celebrating the rescue of the pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, the President disclosed that his administration rejected negotiations with the kidnappers and instead relied on security operations that eventually secured the victims’ freedom, including targeting the families of the kidnappers.

“Every Nigerian should be delighted with the outcome of this bold strategy by the Federal Government. Every life rescued from the hands of kidnappers is a victory for the country. Every family reunited with loved ones deserves relief. But the success of that operation also raises a question that cannot be ignored.

“If the Federal Government has the intelligence network, the operational capacity and the  political resolve to bring the victims in Oriire home without yielding to the demands of kidnappers, why has the government not applied the same strategy to rescue other victims who have fallen victims much longer and have continued to languish in kidnappers’ den till today?,” the ADC queried.

The opposition party added: “As at today, there are still hundreds of families in Kwara State, who still wake up every day not knowing whether their loved ones are alive. There are still communities in Borno that are still waiting for their loved ones to return.

“Across Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Benue and other parts of the country, countless families continue to wait for the phone call that never comes, the rescue that never arrives, or simply some assurance that their government has not moved on. Those families ask for no special treatment. They ask only for equal humanity and equal citizenship.”