•ADC to President: Track down families of Kwara, Borno kidnappers too •Party says all victims deserve equal attention
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have challenged President Bola Tinubu to extend the same security model 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.
In a statement issued on Friday by ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said 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 or the language that the victims speak.
“The African Democratic Congress (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,” the ADC said.
On its own, the ACF, through its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad Baba, on Friday, also urged the Federal Government to deploy the same strategy used in Oyo State to secure the release of kidnap victims in other parts of the country.
The Forum told Saturday Tribune that it had earlier “welcomed the rescue of the Oyo State abductees and wished them, their families, friends and communities well.
“The ACF also welcomed the method used in securing their release, hoping it signals a much-needed fresh strategy in the onslaught against terrorists and other criminal elements.
“ACF prayed for, and continues to look forward to, the rescue of the pupils in Borno State who were abducted at about the same time as the Oyo State victims, as well as those abducted much earlier in Kwara, Adamawa, Zamfara and other states.
“It is rather unfortunate, disappointing and indeed strange that nothing has been heard about the fate of those we appealed should benefit from the same strategy that ensured the safe return of the Oyo victims, as well as the timely arrest and arraignment of some of the perpetrators to face the consequences of their criminal enterprise.
“Until now, the Federal Government has, very sadly, remained mute, much to our chagrin and despair.
“The pronouncement by President Tinubu, almost reeking of glee, will continue to perplex and confuse citizens, especially in view of the deafening silence of the same government that he heads.
“Such silence is clearly dangerous for the polity and further widens the trust deficit already gaining ground in the relationship between the government and citizens, at least in the North, irrespective of any contrary information the President may perhaps be receiving, which may be feeding a false sense of confidence about his popularity and the acceptance of his policies.
“This is incomprehensible and has continued to raise concerns, including accusations or perceptions of ethnic and regional bias and favouritism on the part of the Federal Government.
“The President’s remarks have only fuelled such perceptions. It will certainly serve the government well to do the needful without further delay.
“Anything short of the safe return of abductees anywhere in the country will not assuage the growing feeling of lopsided treatment now taking root in parts of the country, especially those that have long been ravaged by pervasive insecurity and terrorist activities.”
The opposition ADC said the strategy that worked in Oyo and which President Tinubu celebrated should be deployed in other part of the country.
“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?
“As of today, there are still hundred 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.
“The President told the kidnappers in Oriire, ‘No deal.’ He must demonstrate equal resolve and send equally unmistakable message and give real hope to families still waiting for a son, daughter, husband, wife or parent that the government has not forgotten them.
“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. This is the only way to settle an argument that should no longer be necessary, which is whether President Tinubu considers some kidnapping victims more important than others.
“As salutary as the Oriire rescue operation is, the real measure of a government should not be whether it succeeds on a particular incident. It is whether the government has put in place measures and developed the capacity to ensure that Nigerians are no longer easy targets for kidnappers and when it does happen, Nigerians, regardless of where they live, can expect the government will get them out regardless of what part of the country they reside.
“We therefore urge the President to ensure that the same intelligence, surveillance and operational determination deployed in Oriire are immediately brought to bear in Kwara, Borno and every other state where Nigerians remain in captivity. No family should have to wonder whether the urgency of government depends on where tragedy happens.”