The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the federal government over recent mass kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger States, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to protect schoolchildren and surrendering to terrorists.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, on Sunday, November 23, the PDP highlighted the abduction of 25 students in Kebbi and 315 students and staff in Niger, describing the incidents as leaving “a trail of sorrows, tears, blood, fear, and deep anguish on the families of those affected and their communities.”
The party condemned potential federal directives to close schools, warning that such measures would achieve terrorists’ objectives.
“We warn that this closure, if undertaken, like many of this administration’s quick-fix approaches to serious governance issues, will amount to a complete surrender to terrorists, whose sole aim is to shut down schools and prevent children from obtaining formal education,” the statement read.
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PDP urged the government to adopt a more comprehensive security plan rather than relying on “a simplistic approach of closing schools in a bid to prevent further kidnappings and to score cheap political points.”
The party warned that school closures would worsen the already challenging educational situation in Northern Nigeria, where, according to UNICEF, the majority of the 18.3 million out-of-school children reside.
The party also criticised the federal government’s response to the kidnappings, noting that while contingents were sent to the US Congress and the G20 Summit, “instead of the President visiting Kebbi and Niger States to meet and sympathise with the parents of the children who are in captivity, and to address the security personnel there, he merely directed the Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi.”
The PDP described this reaction as “insensitive and dismissive of the gravity of the problem.”
The party concluded by urging immediate implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, anchored on community intelligence and rapid response mechanisms, stressing that “the security of lives and property is the primary function of any government.”