‘Make it the benchmark’ — ADC asks Tinubu to apply Oriire rescue strategy in Kwara, Borno

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked President Bola Tinubu to deploy the same security strategy that led to the rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire LGA of Oyo state to kidnapping victims in Kwara, Borno and other parts of the country.

In a statement issued on Friday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC’s national publicity secretary, said the successful operation in Oyo should become the standard for responding to kidnapping cases, regardless of where they occur.

The statement followed Tinubu’s remarks on Thursday while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo state, led by Rashidi Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

During the meeting, the president said his administration rejected negotiations with the kidnappers and instead relied on security operations to secure the victims’ release.

Abdullahi said the ADC welcomed the rescue but argued that it also raised questions about why similar strategies had not been deployed in other parts of the country.

“Every Nigerian should be delighted with the outcome of this bold strategy by the Federal Government,” the statement reads.

“Every life rescued from the hands of kidnappers is a victory for the country. Every family reunited with loved ones deserves relief. But the success of that operation also 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 fallen victims much longer and have continued to languish in kidnappers’ den till today?”

The ADC spokesperson said hundreds of families in Kwara, Borno, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger and Benue states are still waiting for relatives abducted by kidnappers.

“As at today, there are still hundred of families in Kwara State who still wake up every day not knowing whether their loved ones are alive. There are still communities in Borno that are still waiting for their loved ones to return,” Abdullahi said.

“Across Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Benue and other parts of the country, countless families continue to wait for the phone call that never comes, the rescue that never arrives, or simply some assurance that their government has not moved on.

“Those families ask for no special treatment. They ask only for equal humanity and equal citizenship.”

He said Tinubu should demonstrate the same determination shown during the Oriire rescue operation in all kidnapping cases.

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

Abdullahi said the Oriire operation should not remain an isolated success but become the benchmark for the government’s response to kidnappings nationwide.

“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,” he added.

“We, therefore, urge the President to ensure that the same intelligence, surveillance and operational determination deployed in Oriire are immediately brought to bear in Kwara, Borno and every other state where Nigerians remain in captivity.

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