(Peter Obi. Photo Credit: Arise News)
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has voiced alarm about the nation’s deteriorating security condition and bemoaned the fact that political leaders are prioritizing the 2027 elections over the security and well-being of Nigerians.
Obi criticized the ongoing detention of pupils kidnapped in Borno and Oyo states in a message uploaded on his social media account on Tuesday, pointing out that the victims had not yet been liberated two weeks after their abduction.
He claims that while the children are still in the custody of their captors, the government’s focus seems to be more on announcing the creation of a rescue team than on ensuring their prompt release.
The former governor of Anambra State pointed to several recent attacks nationwide as proof of the deteriorating security situation.
He recalled that on Sunday, terrorists in Gwon-Ajang Village in the Foron District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State, killed at least seven people and injured ten others.
Obi also mentioned the attack on Ayegunle-Igun Community in Kogi State’s Kaba-Bunu Local Government Area, where armed attackers allegedly killed one resident and abducted over 25 others during a planned raid.
He mentioned a recent attack by armed criminals in Anambra State that claimed the lives of two police officers.
The former presidential candidate also brought attention to the kidnapping of 46 people from three schools in the Ahoro-Esinle Community in Oriire Local Government Area near Ogbomoso, Oyo State, including 39 students, seven teachers, and a principal.
Additionally, he noted that on May 15, 2026, suspected Boko Haram militants abducted between 48 and 51 students in the Mussa Community of Askira-Uba Local Government Area in Borno State.
The victims, who include students from nursery, primary, and secondary schools, have been held captive for two weeks, according to Obi.
“In the meantime, we politicians continue to be preoccupied with the next election, paying far more attention to political ambitions than to the safety and well-being of our children and fellow citizens, despite all these tragic developments,” he said.
Obi stressed that such acts shouldn’t be taking place in a nation that isn’t formally at war and called the ongoing attacks on communities and schools a serious national problem.
In order to combat insecurity and shield citizens especially children from the escalating threat posed by terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal groups, he urged swift and decisive action.