Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that no serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance.
He also said that no responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again.
Atiku, who stated these in a statement by his Media office, while reacting to claims by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, who claimed when he featured on Arise Television on Tuesday that the Department of State Services (DSS), and the military could “track” the kidnappers in real time and “made contact” with them, said Onanuga and his ilk should stop insulting Nigerians with propaganda.
The former Vice President noted that the “irresponsible and reckless narrative” exposes the truth under Tinubu that terrorists/bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their “compliance.”
Atiku said; “If the security agencies truly had eyes on the kidnappers, then letting them escape is a national disgrace that smacks of complicity.
“And if they did not have such capacity, then Onanuga is simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership,” he said.
Atiku also said that the release of abducted Nigerians is not a trophy moment, but a damning reminder that terrorists now operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu issues press statements to save face.
Atiku described the statement by Onanuga as; “a shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy,” stressing that if truth must be told, Onanuga’s claim was an attempt to dress up government incompetence as heroism.
He further said; “If, as Onanuga claims, then the question is simple: Why were these criminals not arrested, neutralised, or dismantled on the spot?
“Why is the government boasting about talking to terrorists instead of eliminating them?
“Why is kidnapping now reduced to a routine phone call between criminals and state officials?
“Either way, the statement is an embarrassing admission that this administration has lost control of national security and is now trying to spin incompetence into achievement.
“Nigerians deserve protection, not fairy tales by moonlight!” he said.
