The African Democratic Congress has welcomed the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire local government area of Oyo State after 56 days in captivity, but is pressing the federal government to bring the same urgency to victims still held in Borno and Kwara States, warning against what it calls a selective approach to hostage rescue.
In a statement from National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, the party commended the security agencies and everyone whose efforts freed the Oyo victims, saying it rejoices with families whose long, traumatic wait has finally ended, but argued the successful operation should not overshadow Nigerians still in captivity elsewhere. Pupils abducted in Borno State back in May remain missing, the party noted, while more than 100 people kidnapped in Kaiama, Kwara State are still in the hands of their captors months later, victims the ADC says deserve the same urgency, determination and national and international attention that brought the Oriire captives home.
The party was careful to frame rescue operations as necessary but insufficient on their own, arguing that every successful rescue is worth celebrating, but every kidnapping is also a reminder that government’s primary duty is preventing abductions in the first place, cautioning that Nigeria must not get accustomed to measuring security success by the number of rescue operations conducted. Real success, the ADC argued, looks like an environment where parents can send children to school without fear, travellers can use highways safely, and citizens can go about daily life without a constant threat of abduction hanging over them, expressing concern that insecurity has become such a routine feature of daily life that it now undermines public confidence and economic development. We cannot achieve meaningful economic growth, attract investment or build public confidence while kidnapping remains a recurring feature of national life, the statement said.
The ADC called on the federal government to sustain the resolve, intelligence and operational capacity that freed the Oriire victims and apply it to every Nigerian still in captivity, urging authorities to move beyond reactive rescue operations toward a comprehensive security strategy built around better intelligence gathering, stronger inter agency collaboration, addressing insecurity’s root causes and restoring effective state presence in vulnerable communities. The party concluded that while the Oriire victims’ return deserves celebration, the country’s security effort remains incomplete until every abducted Nigerian regains their freedom.
