ADC Urges FG to Rescue Borno, Kwara Kidnap Victims After Oyo Operation

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has called on the Federal Government to extend the same urgency and commitment used in rescuing abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State to victims still being held captive in Borno and Kwara states.

The opposition party, in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, commended security agencies for the rescue of the Oriire Local Government Area victims after 56 days in captivity but warned against what it described as a selective approach to rescue operations.

The ADC congratulated the rescued victims and their families, describing their safe return as a welcome development.

“We commend the security agencies and all those whose efforts made this rescue possible. Most importantly, we rejoice with the families whose long traumatic wait for the safe return of the victims has finally come to an end,” the party said.

However, the party argued that similar urgency should be extended to Nigerians still in captivity across the country.

It said pupils abducted in Borno State in May and over 100 people reportedly kidnapped in Kaiama, Kwara State, remained in captivity and deserved the same attention given to the Oriire victims.

“The suffering of these victims deserves the same urgency, determination as well as the national and international attention that brought the Oriire victims home,” the ADC stated.

The party said while rescue operations were important, the government’s security performance should not be measured only by the number of successful rescue missions.

“Every successful rescue is worth celebrating. But every kidnapping is also a reminder that the primary duty of government is to ensure that citizens are not abducted in the first place,” it added.

The ADC said the true measure of success was creating a country where citizens could attend school, travel on highways and carry out daily activities without fear of abduction.

It expressed concern that insecurity had become a recurring challenge, warning that persistent kidnappings could undermine public confidence and economic growth.

The party urged the Federal Government to sustain the momentum from the Oyo rescue operation by deploying similar intelligence, operational capacity and determination to secure the release of all Nigerians still in captivity.

It also called for a broader security strategy focused on improved intelligence gathering, stronger collaboration among security agencies, addressing the causes of insecurity and restoring government presence in vulnerable communities.

The ADC concluded that despite the celebration of the Oriire victims’ freedom, the fight against kidnapping would remain incomplete until all abducted Nigerians were safely reunited with their families.