Former presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, over his recent comments on the release of abducted Kebbi schoolgirls.
He made this known in a statement made available to The News Chronicle on Wednesday.
Recall that in an interview on Arise News TV, Onanuga described the release as a “success,” a portrayal Atiku called a “shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism.”
Atiku argued that the release is not a victory but a stark reminder that terrorists now operate with impunity, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while the government issues statements to save face.
“If, as claimed, security agencies were tracking the kidnappers in real time and ‘made contact’ with them, why were these criminals not arrested or neutralized?” Atiku asked. “Why is kidnapping now reduced to routine phone calls between terrorists and state officials?”
The former Vice President warned that under the current administration, terrorists and bandits have effectively become an alternative government, negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched while the presidency celebrates their ‘compliance.
Atiku condemned the narrative as reckless propaganda, adding, “Either the government lacks the capacity to act on intelligence, or it is manufacturing lies to cover monumental failure. Either way, Nigerians are being sold fairy tales instead of real security.”
