Atiku Slams Tinubu's Presidency For "Embarrassing Admission" on National TV: "A National Disgrace"

• Atiku has blasted the President Bola Tinubu administration over the Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction, calling official statements “whitewashing tragedy”
• He argued the government failed to arrest kidnappers, turning terrorists into a “parallel authority” in Nigeria
• The former VP urged an end to propaganda, insisting citizens deserve protection instead of “fairy tales by moonlight”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticised the President Bola Tinubu administration’s handling of the recent Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction.

He described government statements on the incident as an attempt to “whitewash a national tragedy.”

In a press release issued on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, by his media office, Atiku’s team targeted comments made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, during an interview on Arise News TV.

Onanuga had suggested that security agencies tracked the abductors in real time and engaged in negotiations that led to the girls’ release.

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Atiku’s office, however, described this narrative as “a shameful attempt to dress up government incompetence as heroism,” arguing that the release of abducted Nigerians is not a trophy but a reminder that terrorists operate freely and dictate terms to the government.

The former vice president further questioned why security forces did not arrest or neutralise the abductors if the kidnappers were indeed under surveillance.

He also accused the administration of reducing kidnapping to “a routine phone call between criminals and state officials.”

Tinubu administration accused of failing national security

Atiku Media Office stated that under the current administration, terrorists and bandits have effectively become an alternative government, negotiating and collecting ransom while walking away untouched.”

It read partly:

"Under Tinubu, terrorists/bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their 'compliance.”

" No serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance. No responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again."

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"Onanuga and his ilk should stop insulting Nigerians with propaganda. If the security agencies truly had eyes on the kidnappers, then letting them escape is a national disgrace that smacks of complicity. And if they did not have such capacity, then Onanuga is simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership."

"Either way, the statement is an embarrassing admission that this administration has lost control of national security and is now trying to spin incompetence into achievement."

The statement concluded that Nigerians “deserve protection, not fairy tales by moonlight,” urging the government to stop presenting propaganda as achievement.

Tinubu, Matawalle hailed for Kebbi rescue

In a related development, Network for Peace and Development (NPD) commended Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bello Matawalle and security chiefs for the rescue of 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi state.

The group, as reported by Legit.ng, described the rescue as “a divine victory” and credited Tinubu’s prompt directive for Matawalle’s relocation to Kebbi, a move they said changed the course of the operation.

They also praised security forces for executing a “flawless rescue mission,” working day and night, and collaborating with community intelligence and local hunters to recover the girls safely.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng