The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) on Saturday accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of failing to demonstrate the urgency required to tackle insecurity, alleging that his administration’s attitude had emboldened terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.
Makinde, who is the Governor of Oyo State, is also the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) for the 16 January 2027 presidential poll.
His running mate is Mr Lawal Daura, a former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Raising its concerns through its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the organisation said the 1 October abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps in the South-East and South-South was another indication of the government’s failure to protect Nigerians.
MDPCO noted that the incident was particularly disturbing because the victims were young Nigerians travelling to undertake national service after their families had made significant sacrifices to educate them.
Ihediwa wrote: “Under the watch of the Tinubu-led administration, parents toil, make immense sacrifices and struggle through biting economic hardship to train their children through tertiary institutions, only for them to be handed over to terrorists and bandits.”
The prospective corps members were abducted on Thursday when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. The victims were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The Imo State Police Command, however, disclosed that 10 victims were rescued after the attack, while security agencies continued efforts to locate and free those still in captivity.
On Saturday, the Commissioner in charge of the command, Mr Audu Garba Bosso, stated that drones had located the suspected hideout but security operatives were being cautious because intelligence indicated that the camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The campaign organisation alleged the abduction was not an isolated incident, but part of what it described as a worsening security situation in which homes, communities, markets, places of worship, schools and highways were increasingly exposed to criminal attacks.
It claimed that more than 600,000 Nigerians had been killed by terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements since the Tinubu administration came to power, a figure previously cited by the APM while reacting to security challenges in the country.
The 600,000 figure seems to align with the National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) data showing 614,937 deaths from insecurity-related violence between May 2023 and April 2024, although that NBS figure covers all insecurity-related causes and not solely deaths caused by terrorists and bandits.
According to the campaign organisation, the Federal Government needs to adopt a more coordinated and intelligence-driven approach to security, rather than relying mainly on reactive measures after attacks must have occurred, further endangering the lives of victims.
It further stated: “Despite the gallantry and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, the Tinubu Presidency has not demonstrated the capacity to command and manage an effective, intelligence-driven security system that adequately guarantees the safety of all Nigerians.
“President Tinubu ought to take a cue from the security approach of our presidential candidate, Engr Seyi Makinde, in Oyo State.
“That approach emphasises coordinated operations, intelligence, stronger collaboration, preventive measures and rapid response.”
Ihediwa pointed to Makinde’s record in Oyo State, adding that it demonstrated the kind of security strategy the organisation believed could be applied at the national level, adding that the campaign would continue to advocate its “Reset Nigeria” agenda.
The organisation expressed solidarity with the families of the abducted prospective corps members and other Nigerians affected by insecurity, while calling for intensified efforts to secure the safe release of those still in captivity.
