Atiku: Terrorists alternative government under Tinubu — they walk away after abductions

Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar says terrorists and bandits now run an alternate government under President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media office, Abubakar criticised comments from Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, made during an interview on Arise TV, regarding the release of abductees.

Onanuga had said the federal government opted for a non-kinetic approach to safeguard the lives of abductees.

Abubakar described Onanuga’s remarks as “a shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism”.

The former presidential candidate said the celebration of schoolgirls’ release by government officials reflects a deeper and more troubling reality of the growing boldness and impunity of terrorist groups across the country.

“Truth be told, the release of abducted Nigerians is not a trophy moment; it is a damning reminder that terrorists now operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while this administration issues press statements to save face,” the statement reads.

The former vice-president questioned claims by Onanuga that security agencies were able to track the kidnappers in real time and even made contact with them.

“If the DSS and the military could ‘track’ the kidnappers in real time and ‘made contact’ with them, then the question is simple: Why were these criminals not arrested, neutralised, or dismantled on the spot?” he asked.

Abubakar said the government’s narrative suggests that kidnapping has now been reduced to “a routine phone call between criminals and state officials”, which he said emboldens violent groups and undermines public trust.

He warned that the implications of the administration’s strategy are dangerous for national security.

“Under Tinubu, terrorists and bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their ‘compliance’,” the statement reads.

Abubakar said no responsible government boasts of negotiating with criminals it claims to have under surveillance, noting that allowing abductors to return to their hideouts unchallenged only guarantees repeated attacks.

He accused the presidency of either misleading Nigerians about its capabilities or revealing a disturbing level of incompetence.

“If the security agencies truly had eyes on the kidnappers, then letting them escape is a national disgrace that smacks of complicity,” Abubakar added.

“And if they did not have such capacity, then Onanuga is simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership.”

He also submitted that Nigerians deserve real protection, not “propaganda” and “fairy tales by moonlight”.