Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said he would have personally gone into the forest where pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State were held if he were Nigeria’s president.
Obi made the remarks during an interview on Afia TV, where he argued that decisive leadership is critical to tackling insecurity and criticised what he described as the Federal Government’s handling of the Oyo school abduction.
The abduction occurred on May 15 when gunmen attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School in Ogbomoso, all located in Oriire LGA.
The Oyo State Police Command said two people were killed during the attacks, while at least 45 pupils and teachers were kidnapped. The incident forced the Oyo State Government to shut schools in four local government areas as security agencies launched rescue operations.
After more than 50 days in captivity, the Presidency announced on July 10 that all the abducted pupils and teachers had been rescued.
Reacting to the incident, Obi said he would not have waited weeks before taking action if he had been president.
“Days of kidnap of Oyo children. The president did not call the governor. What do you mean? Fifty days,” he said.
“But I’ll be there in two days. Is the bush not in Nigeria? That bush they went in. The bush is in Nigeria.
“Everybody in that bush will come out. There might be casualties, but everybody will come out.”
Obi also criticised the government’s handling of security operations, saying Nigerians deserve greater transparency.
“And it is time when we say we resolve something. We arrest some people. Parade the people. Let people see them. What is happening?
“When America or other countries kill people like that, they parade them. They show it. Everybody sees it.
“In Nigeria, everything is shrouded in secrecy.”
He further faulted President Bola Tinubu for allegedly failing to personally contact Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde during the more than 50-day period the victims remained in captivity, describing such communication as an essential demonstration of leadership during a national security crisis.