The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Bola Tinubu of “surrendering to terrorists” following a wave of abductions, killings, and school shutdowns across northern Nigeria.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday and signed by its spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, the party stated that the president must either seek external assistance or resign if he is unable to secure the country.
Mr Ememobong said the federal government’s response to the deepening security crisis has been “slow, disjointed and dangerously passive,” despite repeated attacks targeting students, worshippers, military personnel and rural communities.
Week of fear and violence
Nigeria has witnessed a resurgence of mass kidnappings of late. In Kebbi State, armed men abducted 25 students from a secondary school. Within days, over 300 students and staff of a Catholic Church-run school in Niger State were abducted, marking one of the largest mass abductions in years.
Separately, gunmen stormed a church in Kwara State during a service, killing worshippers and abducting several others, including the presiding pastor. In another incident, terrorists claimed responsibility for killing a senior military officer, Musa Uba, a brigadier general, signalling a growing boldness among insurgent networks.
The attacks have forced some northern states to shut down schools.
The PDP warned that school closures play directly into the mission of extremist groups like Boko Haram, whose founding doctrine opposes Western education — the phrase “Boko Haram” itself translates loosely to “Western education is forbidden.”
“We are aware that the closure of schools in these areas is already being implemented by some state governments and is currently being contemplated by the Federal Government,” the party said.
“We warn that this closure, if undertaken, like many of this administration’s quick-fix approaches to serious governance issues, will amount to a complete surrender to terrorists, whose sole aim is to shut down schools and prevent children from obtaining formal education, which they declare forbidden. If the schools are closed, the goal of the terrorists would have been inadvertently achieved,” the PDP warned.
The opposition criticised what it described as a lack of leadership from the presidency, accusing Mr Tinubu of delegating crisis response instead of taking charge.
“Instead of the president visiting Kebbi and Niger States to meet and sympathise with the parents of the children who are in captivity, and to address the security personnel there, he merely directed the Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi,” Mr Ememobong said.
“This reaction is most insensitive and dismissive of the gravity of the problem by the APC-led federal government,” he added.
Out-of-school children
Nigeria already has the world’s highest number of out-of-school children — 18.3 million, according to UNICEF. The majority are in the north.
The PDP said the ongoing school shutdowns will deepen illiteracy, widen poverty and entrench recruitment pipelines for armed groups.
“This alarm is crucial because a closure of schools will certainly exacerbate the already challenging educational situation in Northern Nigeria, where, according to UNICEF, the majority of the 18.3 million out-of-school children (10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the secondary level) in Nigeria reside.
“This data not only paints a grim picture but also mirrors the exact situation in Nigeria. The series of attacks and kidnappings in different states within a week is indicative of the alarming insecurity that has become the contemporary lived experience and new reality of Nigerians under the APC-led Bola Tinubu government.”
Insecurity under PDP
Although the PDP has continued to criticise Tinubu’s administration for the worsening insecurity, particularly in recent weeks, the party also had its fair share of security challenges, particularly during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction in 2014 happened under the PDP leadership and remains one of the most symbolic failures of government protection. Other deadly events — including the 2011 Christmas Day bombing and large-scale attacks in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa — also occurred during the PDP rule.
ALSO READ: Insecurity: Ex-NBA president challenges Tinubu to name those allegedly waging war against Nigeria
Besides attacks in the north during Jonathan’s administration, there were sustained attacks on oil pipelines in the south, resulting in a loss of revenue and a record low in the country’s oil production capacity.
‘Seek help or resign’
The PDP said the government must immediately implement the National Policy on Safe Schools and invest in intelligence-led early warning systems.
“We again remind the President and the entire APC-led administration that the security of lives and property is the primary function of any government.
“At any time, government is unwilling, unable, or incapable of executing this primary role, such a government must either ask for help (locally or internationally) or honourably resign, if it is sincere and responsible,” the party said.
Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson to President Tinubu, did not respond to a text message requesting comments at the time of filing this report.