The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the kidnapping of 163 worshippers during Sunday service in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, accusing the government of presiding over normalized insecurity and horrifying security failures.
In a scathing statement issued on Monday, January 19, by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the opposition party condemned what it called the government’s inability to protect citizens’ constitutional right to worship safely.
The PDP described the mass abduction as evidence that insecurity has become the “new reality” for Nigerians under the current administration.
“The abduction of 163 Nigerians from their places of worship is a sad reminder of the normalisation of insecurity which has become the new reality of Nigerians due to the horrifying security failure under the Bola Tinubu, APC-led administration,” the statement read.
Citing the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kajuru Local Government Area, the party noted that the attack “was carried out by bandits who arrived in large numbers, while the worshippers were in the middle of the service. 172 people were initially abducted, but nine of them escaped immediately after the attack.”
The PDP declared that frequent attacks on places of worship represent the government’s complete failure to protect fundamental rights.
“These frequent attacks on worshippers in their places of worship, irrespective of religion, represent the inability of this government to protect the constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of worship.
“Nigerians must not live in fear when going to churches or mosques to worship. The entrenchment of such brazen criminality under this administration is totally unacceptable,” the statement said.
While calling for immediate rescue operations, the PDP warned the government against turning the tragedy into a publicity stunt as it allegedly did during the Niger school kidnapping.
“We hereby call on the APC-led Federal Government to immediately commence comprehensive rescue operations to bring these kidnapped citizens home safely.
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“We urge them not to dramatize this sad situation the way they did with the Niger school kidnapping, where media optics prevailed over identity protection and safeguarding during the ‘rescue and return’ processes of the victims,” it stated.
In a particularly harsh criticism, the PDP accused President Tinubu of wasting taxpayers’ money on international image campaigns while Nigerians suffer from escalating insecurity.
“The President should concentrate on fixing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity instead of spending millions of taxpayers’ money on international image laundering campaigns to change narratives abroad.
“Insecurity cannot be solved by propaganda. The families suffering these tragedies will communicate their pain regardless of how much money is spent on image management,” the party said.
The PDP argued that the tragedy proves the urgent need for state policing, suggesting that criminals operate with impunity because of the current security structure.
“We are convinced that if state policing had been operational, these criminals may not have successfully operated with such impunity and taken this large number of people captive.
“The Federal Government must urgently double its efforts at combating banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes,” the statement read.
The party reminded the government that protecting citizens is its primary constitutional responsibility and demanded action instead of empty promises.
“The protection of citizens is government’s primary constitutional responsibility. Every Nigerian deserves to worship in safety.
“The Tinubu administration must demonstrate that Nigerian lives matter through immediate action, not empty promises. The families of the 163 kidnap victims anxiously await their return,” the statement concluded.