Oyo Rescue dispute has intensified after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accused the Presidency of twisting facts by claiming he failed to react to the successful rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said claims that he remained silent following the rescue operation were completely inaccurate and contradicted by publicly available evidence. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the Presidency either failed to verify the facts or deliberately ignored his earlier statement.
“It is astonishing that a presidency with limitless public resources could accuse someone of silence without carrying out the most basic verification,” the statement read. According to Atiku, only two explanations exist for the accusation: either officials neglected to read his earlier statement or intentionally overlooked it because it challenged the government’s narrative.
The exchange began after the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, criticised Atiku for allegedly failing to publicly celebrate the rescue of the Oriire pupils and their teachers nearly 18 hours after they regained their freedom. Onanuga had questioned why the opposition leader had not congratulated the Federal Government, security agencies and the rescued victims following the successful operation.
Responding to the criticism, Atiku insisted that he had already released a detailed statement titled “A Nation at War Needs a Commander-in-Chief, Not a Campaigner-in-Chief.” According to him, the statement welcomed the rescue, commended the Armed Forces and other security agencies for their professionalism, and called for sustained operations to free Nigerians still being held by terrorists and kidnappers.
“The rescue of innocent schoolchildren from the hands of terrorists is a victory for our gallant troops and a source of hope for every Nigerian family. They deserve the gratitude of the nation,” Atiku said in the earlier statement.
While celebrating the successful operation in Oyo State, Atiku maintained that many Nigerian families continue to suffer because numerous abducted citizens remain in captivity. He stressed that the rescue should strengthen, rather than reduce, efforts to secure the freedom of victims still being held in Borno State and other parts of the country.
“One successful rescue must not become an excuse for self-congratulation,” he said, urging authorities to sustain pressure on terrorists, bandits and kidnappers until every victim is safely reunited with their families.
Atiku argued that the Presidency ignored his documented remarks while attempting to portray him as silent on the matter. He maintained that his earlier statement explicitly praised the courage and sacrifices of Nigeria’s security personnel but questioned why the Commander-in-Chief was, in his view, more focused on partisan political engagements than publicly leading the nation during the rescue.
The ADC candidate also said Nigerians remain concerned about the fate of other abducted citizens across the country, insisting that government attention should remain fixed on ending insecurity. According to him, effective governance should be measured by results rather than political propaganda, adding that citizens deserve a Presidency focused on rescuing every Nigerian still in captivity instead of engaging in disputes with the opposition.
