Atiku Abubakar, the presidential flagbearer of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has strongly advocated for a declaration of a state of emergency on security matters across Nigeria. The former Vice President, through his media spokesperson Paul Ibe, voiced deep concern over the escalating insecurity that now specifically targets educational institutions, thereby jeopardizing the future of the country’s youth.
Speaking out after a brutal attack on Government Secondary School in Iluke Bunu, Kogi State, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals including the school’s Vice Principal and the abduction of numerous students, Atiku highlighted a disturbing pattern. He pointed to earlier incidents where over 90 school children were kidnapped in separate attacks in Oyo and Borno states, and a principal was gruesomely killed—events that underscore a calculated effort to dismantle the education system and stall national progress.
Atiku emphasized that the federal government must take decisive action by empowering security commanders with greater operational autonomy. He clarified that his call is not for the removal of elected officials but rather for granting military and police leaders the flexibility to make battlefield decisions without political interference. This approach, he believes, is essential to effectively confront the menace of terrorism and banditry that continues to plague the nation.