Kaima abductees, others also matter, ADC tells Tinubu

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has charged President Bola Tinubu to provide updates and timelines for the rescue of 176 residents abducted from the Woro community in Kaiama, Kwara State, who have remained in captivity since February 3, 2026, as well as other victims held captive by bandits in different kinds of the country.

The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, yesterday, accused President Tinubu of creating the impression that some victims of insecurity matter more than others, noting that the President’s celebration of the recent rescue of abductees in Oyo State had prompted questions about the fate of victims still being held in Kaiama, Borno, and other parts of the country.

The opposition party stated that there is seemingly a pattern by President Tinubu’s administration to respond differently to the security crisis in different parts of the country. It stated that while some victims of insecurity receive swift presidential attention, others are left to languish in kidnappers’ den.

The ADC admonished the President to ensure that his actions “do not create the impression that the value of a Nigerian life depends on where the victim comes from, or whether the tragedy attracts national headlines”.

“Leadership demands equal compassion for every citizen, because no country can build national unity on the basis of selective empathy and selective attention.”

The party went on, “On Friday, July 24, 2026, residents of Kaiama Local Government Area in Kwara State staged a peaceful protest over the fate of 176 residents of Woro community abducted on February 3, 2026. More than 170 days later, their families are still asking the same questions: Where are their loved ones? What has the government done? When should they expect them home? Their protest was not political. It was the cry of citizens who fear that their loved ones have been forgotten.

“The tragedy is not standing still; it is spreading. In Zamfara State, no fewer than 40 residents from 11 communities in Mayanchi District of Maru Local Government Area were recently abducted by bandits, most of them women and children, forcing terrified families to flee their homes. On Friday, July 24, fresh attacks, again, claimed lives in Benue’s Sankera axis. And in the early hours of Sunday, July 26, 2026, suspected bandits abducted a Judge of the Kebbi State High Court, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, from his residence. Meanwhile, communities in Borno State continue to endure insurgent attacks and mass displacement. These are not isolated incidents. They are reminders that insecurity remains a daily reality for millions of Nigerians.

“Following the public celebration surrounding the rescue of abductees in Oyo State, Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: what is the status of those still being held elsewhere? What progress has been made in securing the release of the 176 abductees from Kaiama? What is being done to rescue the women and children taken in Zamfara? What efforts are underway to secure the release of Justice Bunza? What updates are available on victims in Borno and other affected communities? The President owes Nigerians more than broad assurances. He owes them regular updates, timelines and evidence that no Nigerian community has been abandoned.”

The opposition party, while recalling President Tinubu’s recent assurance that insecurity in the country would soon end, expressed hope that the promise materialises. Nonetheless, it stated that assurances must be backed by action.

“The administration has become remarkably consistent in making reassuring pronouncements but far less convincing in delivering outcomes. On one of the defining challenges of this government, the President is increasingly seen as a professional statement-maker, while communities continue to bury their dead, search for the missing, and wait for rescues that never seem to come.”