By Sabiu Abdullahi
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to give equal attention to all victims of insecurity across Nigeria. The opposition party asked the President to provide updates on efforts to rescue 176 residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, who have remained in captivity since they were abducted on February 3, 2026.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the President’s celebration of the recent rescue of abductees in Oyo State had raised concerns about the fate of people still being held by kidnappers and insurgents in Kaiama, Borno and other parts of the country.
The ADC also pointed to the recent abduction of 40 residents from communities in Zamfara State, fresh deadly attacks in Benue State, and the kidnapping of Kebbi State High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, as signs that insecurity remains a major challenge despite repeated assurances from the Federal Government.
According to the party, the administration must show through its actions that every Nigerian life is valued equally.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is concerned by what is becoming an unmistakable pattern in the Tinubu administration’s response to insecurity: some victims receive swift presidential attention, while others are left to languish in silence.
“Every successful rescue of abducted Nigerians deserves to be celebrated. But the President must ensure that his actions do not create the impression that the value of a Nigerian life depends on where the victim comes from or whether the tragedy attracts national headlines. Leadership demands equal compassion for every citizen, because no country can build national unity on the basis of selective empathy and selective attention.”
The statement recalled that residents of Kaiama Local Government Area staged a peaceful protest on July 24 over the continued captivity of the 176 abductees from Woro community. It noted that more than 170 days after the incident, families were still waiting for answers from the government.
The ADC also expressed concern over the worsening security situation in other parts of the country.
“The tragedy is not standing still; it is spreading. In Zamfara State, no fewer than 40 residents from 11 communities in Mayanchi District of Maru Local Government Area were recently abducted by bandits, most of them women and children, forcing terrified families to flee their homes.
“On Friday, July 24, fresh attacks again claimed lives in Benue’s Sankera axis. And in the early hours of Sunday, July 26, 2026, suspected bandits abducted a Judge of the Kebbi State High Court, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, from his residence. Meanwhile, communities in Borno State continue to endure insurgent attacks and mass displacement. These are not isolated incidents. They are reminders that insecurity remains a daily reality for millions of Nigerians.”
Abdullahi said Nigerians deserved to know the progress made in securing the release of abductees still in captivity across the country.
“What progress has been made in securing the release of the 176 abductees from Kaiama? What is being done to rescue the women and children taken in Zamfara? What efforts are underway to secure the release of Justice Bunza? What updates are available on victims in Borno and other affected communities? The President owes Nigerians more than broad assurances. He owes them regular updates, timelines and evidence that no Nigerian community has been abandoned.”
The party also questioned the effectiveness of repeated presidential assurances on security.
“On Thursday, July 23, 2026, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu again assured Nigerians that insecurity in the North would soon come to an end. We sincerely hope that promise becomes reality. But hope cannot survive indefinitely on declarations alone. There comes a point when repeated assurances, unaccompanied by visible results, cease to reassure. They simply become another headline in a long cycle of official optimism and public disappointment.
“That is why many Nigerians no longer receive presidential statements on insecurity with the confidence they once did. The administration has become remarkably consistent in making reassuring pronouncements but far less convincing in delivering outcomes. On one of the defining challenges of this government, the President is increasingly seen as a professional statement-maker, while communities continue to bury their dead, search for the missing and wait for rescues that never seem to come.”
The ADC called on President Tinubu to prove, “through action rather than rhetoric”, that every Nigerian deserves equal protection and attention.
“The people abducted in Woro on February 3 matter.
“The women and children abducted in Mayanchi, Zamfara matter. The families living under siege in Borno matter. The victims of fresh attacks in Benue matter. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza matters. They deserve the same urgency, the same empathy and the same presidential attention that every rescued Nigerian rightly receives. Leadership is not measured by how quickly government celebrates a rescue; it is measured by whether no Nigerian is left behind or forgotten.”
