Obasanjo Finally Speaks Out On Mass Abductions Rocking Kebbi, Kwara And Niger

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday condemned renewed calls for negotiations with bandits, insisting that Nigeria must adopt decisive military action and welcome international support to curb the rising wave of insecurity.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking in Jos, Plateau State, during the Plateau State Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival, Obasanjo warned that relying heavily on dialogue in the face of mass killings and abductions projects national weakness.

His remarks come amid a series of major kidnappings. On November 21, terrorists attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, abducting 315 students and 13 teachers in one of the biggest school kidnappings of the year. Three days earlier, 26 schoolgirls were taken from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.

In another incident, 24 people—including pregnant women—were kidnapped from a rice farm in the Palaita community of Shiroro LGA, Niger State. Gunmen also abducted 20 people across Kano and Kwara between Monday night and Tuesday morning, forcing residents to flee their homes and leaving major roads deserted.

The latest public outrage followed the release of 38 worshippers previously abducted from the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun, Eruku, in Kwara State. Their freedom, secured after negotiations by the Federal Government, has been criticised by security analysts who argue that such deals embolden kidnappers who thrive on ransom-driven operations.

Obasanjo stressed that international cooperation, improved intelligence sharing, and modern surveillance technologies now make it easier to track and eliminate terrorist cells, questioning why these tools are not being fully deployed.

He said, “Regardless of your religion, your origin, or your profession, Nigerians are being killed, and our government appears unable to protect us. We are part of the global community. If our government cannot safeguard us, we have the right to call on the international community to do what our government cannot.”

He continued, “Before I left office, we already had the capability to track anyone who committed a crime anywhere in Nigeria. What we lacked then was the ability to apprehend them without moving by land or air.

“Today, we have the capacity. With drones, we can locate them, monitor them, and take them out. So why are we not acting? Why the apologies? Why the negotiations?”