ABUJA, Nigeria — The Presidency has questioned why former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has remained silent following the successful rescue of the schoolchildren and teachers who were abducted in Oyo State.
The initial incident occurred on May 15, when armed attackers raided three schools across the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities in the Oriire Local Government Area, abducting 39 students and six teachers. During the initial assault, one teacher was killed, and another unfortunately lost their life while in captivity. After 56 days, a joint security team successfully rescued all remaining hostages on Friday, neutralising several bandits and arresting eight suspects.
Reacting to the development, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, criticized Atiku’s lack of response via his official X account on Saturday. Onanuga pointed out that nearly 18 hours after the victims regained their freedom, the former Vice President had not deemed it fit to rejoice with the federal government, the security agencies, or the traumatized victims.
The presidential aide suggested that the opposition leader was only quick to speak on the security situation when using it for political leverage. Onanuga claimed that Atiku had previously weaponized the kidnapping as a campaign issue multiple times since it occurred. He remarked that now that the abductees are safe, the former Vice President's platform has remained quiet without any words of praise, suggesting he might be waiting for negative news to launch fresh attacks against the Tinubu administration.
Onanuga contrasted Atiku’s silence with the immediate response from Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress. While Obi’s statement did not explicitly credit the Commander-in-Chief, Onanuga acknowledged his willingness to speak out and call for a national thanksgiving.
In his Saturday morning post, Obi had shared his profound relief over the safe rescue and expressed gratitude to the frontline security personnel and behind-the-scenes actors who facilitated their freedom. However, Obi also maintained his stance on the nation's security challenges, adding that the recurring abductions of school pupils highlight an urgent need to reform and fortify the country's overall safety architecture.
