The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, January 21, condemned what it described as the “dangerous pattern” of denial and inaction by the Federal Government and Kaduna State authorities following the kidnapping of 163 worshippers in Kajuru Local Government Area.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP accused the police and local officials of deliberately obscuring the truth from Nigerians.
“The Federal Government’s silence and the outright denial by the Kaduna State Police Command and Kajuru Local Government Chairman regarding the kidnapping of approximately 163 worshippers in Kajuru community represents a dangerous pattern recurrent in the course of this administration—the normalization of insecurity and a deliberate attempt to obscure the truth from Nigerians,” the statement read.
According to the party, the Kaduna Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, initially dismissed the mass abduction as a falsehood spread by “mischief makers” and “conflict entrepreneurs,” while the Kajuru Local Government Chairman denied that any kidnapping occurred in the area.
“These denials are deeply hurtful, not only because they are evidently false, but because they reveal the manifest levity with which this administration treats serious matters like security.
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“What makes this even more painful is that, according to the villagers, the police was immediately alerted when the kidnapping occurred. They had the opportunity to act.
“Instead, they chose denial, prioritizing the government’s image over the lives of 163 Nigerians,” the PDP said.
The party added that only after victims’ identities were confirmed by residents and the Christian Association of Nigeria did the police acknowledge the incident, yet neither the Commissioner nor the local chairman has apologised.
“This act of public betrayal and failed cover-up is most shameful and condemnable,” the PDP said.
It demanded an immediate public apology from the authorities and called on the Federal Government to “deploy a high-powered security team to trace, rescue, and safely return these kidnapped Nigerians to their homes and families.”
Ememobong urged the government to abandon “performative governance” and prioritise citizens’ safety, stressing that “One hundred and sixty-three families are waiting. They deserve action, not excuses.”