Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the abduction of the sister and twin nephews of the immediate-past Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, declaring that the incident underscored the worsening insecurity across Nigeria and showed that “no one is safe” under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The position was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday evening, and signed by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
In the statement, the former vice president expressed deep concern over the abduction of Adelabu’s sister and her twin sons in Ibadan, Oyo State, and called for their immediate and unconditional release.
Atiku condemned the kidnapping “in the strongest possible terms” and urged security agencies to deploy every available resource to ensure the safe rescue of the victims and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
Expressing solidarity with the Adelabu family, Atiku said the incident once again exposed the frightening depth of Nigeria’s insecurity crisis.
He described it as particularly alarming that such a brazen abduction reportedly occurred at Challenge Bus Stop in Ibadan, one of the city’s busiest and most prominent locations.
According to him, “the fact that kidnappers could strike in such a prominent public space without fear of interception speaks volumes about the worsening security situation in the country.”
The former vice president argued that while ordinary Nigerians had endured the scourge of kidnapping for years, the latest incident raised a question that the Federal Government could no longer ignore.
“While millions of ordinary Nigerians have endured the horrors of kidnapping for years, this latest incident raises a question that the Tinubu administration can no longer evade: if government officials have become desensitised to the suffering of ordinary citizens, should they not at least be alarmed when insecurity reaches the doorstep of one of their own?” he said.
Atiku lamented that families across the country continue to suffer unimaginable trauma as kidnappers and other criminal elements operate with increasing boldness.
“Schoolchildren are abducted from classrooms, farmers are driven from their lands, travellers are kidnapped on highways, and entire communities are held hostage by fear. Yet, despite these grim realities, the government’s response has too often been characterised by excuses, propaganda, and palliatives rather than decisive action,” he stated.
He noted that insecurity affects Nigerians regardless of political affiliation or social status.
“Kidnappers do not ask for party membership cards before striking. They do not distinguish between APC members and opposition supporters. They do not care whether their victims are ministers, former ministers, traders, teachers, students, or farmers.
“The same insecurity that has turned the lives of ordinary Nigerians into a daily nightmare is now knocking on doors many in government may have assumed were beyond its reach,” Atiku added.
The former vice president said the incident should serve as a wake-up call to those entrusted with the nation’s security.
“If the endless cries of ordinary Nigerians were not enough to spur this government into action, one would have expected that an attack affecting the family of a former member of the administration would finally underscore the urgency of the crisis.
“Sadly, insecurity has become so pervasive that no one is truly insulated from its consequences,” he said.
Atiku further argued that any government unable to guarantee its citizens’ safety was failing in its most fundamental responsibility.
He decried a situation in which many Nigerians now budget for ransom payments, just as they do for school fees. In contrast, families live in constant fear of receiving distressing calls about loved ones.
The former vice president, therefore, called on the Tinubu administration to abandon what he described as a reactive approach to security and adopt a comprehensive, intelligence-driven strategy aimed at dismantling kidnapping syndicates, securing vulnerable communities and restoring public confidence.
He reiterated his demand for the immediate rescue of Adelabu’s sister and her twin sons, as well as the arrest and prosecution of their abductors.
Atiku also extended his prayers and support to the Adelabu family and to other Nigerians affected by the worsening insecurity in the country.
“Nigerians deserve security, not excuses. They deserve protection, not palliatives,” he declared.
