- The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has openly criticized the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, for maintaining absolute silence following the release of the abducted Oriire students and educators.
- Onanuga alleged that the opposition leader had aggressively used the 57-day abduction crisis as a campaign weapon to discredit the Tinubu administration but suddenly went mute when positive results were achieved by national security agencies.
- In an unexpected political twist, the presidential spokesman publicly praised the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, for promptly acknowledging and celebrating the safe extraction of the victims, despite his remaining systemic critiques of the nation’s security challenges.
The security breakthrough that led to the safe extraction of 39 pupils and seven academic staff members in Oyo State has quickly transformed into a volatile political battleground in Abuja.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, went on the offensive, blasting former Vice President and African Democratic Congress flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, for failing to comment on the successful military operation.
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Onanuga pointedly observed that more than 18 hours after the traumatized victims regained their freedom, the veteran opposition figure had not deemed it fit to share in the relief of the affected families or the federal government.
The presidency expressed deep dissatisfaction with what it termed selective commentary from the opposition camp.
According to Onanuga, Atiku had consistently issued critical press statements while the students remained in the custody of their captors, utilizing the sensitive national crisis to paint the current administration as incompetent.
The presidential spokesman mockingly suggested that the veteran politician might simply be waiting for a fresh wave of negative developments before breaking his current media silence.
In stark contrast to his harsh assessment of the former Vice President, the presidential aide extended rare praise toward the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.
Onanuga commended the former Anambra State governor for his mature and rapid response to the rescue.
While Obi deliberately refrained from praising President Tinubu directly in his public address, he immediately called for national thanksgiving, expressing profound gratitude to the military personnel who risked their lives to bring the children home safely.
The underlying crisis dates back to May 15, when heavily armed men launched simultaneous raids on Community Grammar School in Ahoro-Esiele and Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, located within the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The mass kidnapping threw the educational sector into chaos, sparking nationwide protests by the Nigerian Union of Teachers, especially after one of the captured instructors, Michael Oyedokun, was brutally murdered by the terrorists.
Throughout the 56 days of captivity, Atiku had relentlessly lambasted the presidency’s handling of the situation, describing the distribution of palliatives to grieving families as an abdication of governance.
Providing fresh operational insights into the tactical rescue, Onanuga emphasized that the security forces secured the victims’ freedom through pure kinetic force, completely bypassing any financial or policy negotiations with the criminal gang.
The presidential representative disclosed that tactical teams neutralized several bandits during the crossfire and arrested eight suspects, who have already been handed over to the Department of State Services for interrogation.
He added that a major kidnapping kingpin, whose unconditional release had been demanded by the gang as a condition for freeing the pupils, remains securely in federal custody under active prosecution.
While Peter Obi welcomed the development with immense relief, he kept his broader security warnings intact.
In his Saturday statement, the opposition leader reminded the public that the successful rescue in Oyo State must not blind the nation to the unchecked epidemic of kidnappings still ravaging other geopolitical zones.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and President Tinubu have both highly commended the joint efforts of the military, the police, and the DSS, reiterating that the federal government remains unyielding in its refusal to pay concessions to domestic terrorist networks.
