ADC urges Tinubu to replicate Oriire rescue strategy nationwide

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to extend the security strategy that secured the rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to other kidnapping cases across the country, particularly in Kwara, Borno and other states where victims remain in captivity.

In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party commended the successful rescue operation in Oyo but argued that the government’s response to kidnapping should be consistent, regardless of where the victims are from.

The call followed President Tinubu’s remarks on Thursday while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The President disclosed that his administration rejected negotiations with the kidnappers and instead relied on intelligence-led security operations, including targeting the families of the kidnappers, to secure the victims’ release.

Reacting to the President’s comments, the ADC described the rescue as a welcome development but questioned why similar efforts had not been deployed to free other Nigerians still being held by kidnappers.

“Every Nigerian should be delighted with the outcome of this bold strategy by the Federal Government. Every life rescued from the hands of kidnappers is a victory for the country. Every family reunited with loved ones deserves relief,” Abdullahi said.

He, however, added that the success of the operation “raises a question that cannot be ignored.”

“If the Federal Government has the intelligence network, the operational capacity and the political resolve to bring the victims in Oriire home without yielding to the demands of kidnappers, why has the government not applied the same strategy to rescue other victims who have remained in captivity for much longer?” he asked.

The ADC said hundreds of families in Kwara State, as well as communities in Borno, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger and Benue states, continued to live in uncertainty over the fate of their abducted relatives.

“There are still hundreds of families in Kwara State who wake up every day not knowing whether their loved ones are alive. There are still communities in Borno waiting for their loved ones to return. Across Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Benue and other parts of the country, countless families continue to wait for the phone call that never comes or simply for assurance that their government has not moved on,” the statement said.

According to the party, the President should demonstrate the same determination shown in the Oriire operation across all kidnapping cases.

“The President told the kidnappers in Oriire, ‘No deal.’ He must demonstrate equal resolve and send an equally unmistakable message to families still waiting for a son, daughter, husband, wife or parent that the government has not forgotten them,” Abdullahi stated.

The ADC maintained that the Oriire rescue should become the benchmark for the Federal Government’s response to kidnapping nationwide rather than remain an isolated success story.

“The rescue in Oriire should not stand as an exceptional story that government recounts with pride. It should be the standard by which every response to kidnapping is measured,” the statement said.

The party further argued that the true measure of government performance lay not only in responding successfully to isolated incidents but also in building the capacity to prevent kidnappings and ensure that every Nigerian received equal protection, irrespective of location.

It therefore urged the Federal Government to immediately deploy the same intelligence, surveillance and operational resources used in the Oriire rescue to ongoing kidnapping cases across the country.

“No family should have to wonder whether the urgency of government depends on where tragedy happens,” the statement added.