Atiku Abubaka.webp
The Digest:

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized what he calls the government's attempt to "whitewash a national tragedy," arguing that negotiating with terrorists, rather than dismantling them, exposes a dangerous normalization of Nigeria's security crisis and reveals a state struggling to assert its authority

Key Points:
  • Atiku declared the girls' release should not be presented as an achievement
  • He criticized the government for negotiating with "terrorists under surveillance."
  • The statement responded to Presidential Adviser Bayo Onanuga's comments
  • Atiku questioned why known terrorists weren't arrested instead of being negotiated with
  • He described the situation as evidence of "alternative government" by bandits
  • The Presidency had emphasized that security forces prevented civilian casualties
  • Kebbi Governor confirmed no ransom was paid for the 24 students' release
When the return of kidnapped children becomes a routine negotiation rather than decisive law enforcement, it reveals a dangerous normalization where the state manages crises rather than solves them.

Sources: Punch Newspapers, Leadership