Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the abduction of schoolchildren and educators in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and the brutal killing of innocent Nigerians in Katsina State, including a pregnant woman.

Atiku described the tragedies as further proof that Nigeria was bleeding under a government that had reduced leadership to post-tragedy press statements.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said he was particularly heartbroken by the news of the gruesome murder of one of the teachers abducted in the Ogbomoso kidnapping incident.

He said the continued bloodshed across the country did not only mark a breakdown of security, but also a frightening collapse of leadership at the highest level.

Atiku stated, “At a time when armed criminals are abducting schoolchildren, slaughtering innocent citizens, and turning communities into graveyards, President Tinubu’s response remains the same tired ritual: condemn the killings, threaten that the perpetrators will face the ‘full wrath of the law,’ and then wait for the next massacre.

“Nigerians have heard this script too many times. It has become painfully predictable and utterly meaningless.

“President Tinubu must stop governing by obituary statements. Enough of the recycled outrage. Enough of the empty threats. Nigerians are dying, and this government keeps responding with press releases.”

The former vice president stated, “A president, who only finds his voice after blood has been spilled is not leading but presiding over failure.

“The horrifying abduction in Ogbomoso and the gruesome killings in Katsina are not isolated incidents. They are part of a grim national pattern in which criminals operate with terrifying confidence because they no longer fear the Nigerian state.

“When terrorists can invade schools, abduct children and teachers, butcher pregnant women, sack entire communities, and disappear without consequence, it is because the authority of the state has collapsed.”

Atiku said, “What comfort is ‘the full wrath of the law’ to families already burying their loved ones? What solace is another presidential statement to parents now terrified that sending their children to school may be a death sentence?

“Even more disturbing are reports suggesting deliberate attempts to suppress images and documentation of these atrocities from reaching the Nigerian public.

“If this government is indeed more interested in censoring evidence of mass killings than in preventing the killings themselves, then that is not merely incompetence — it is cruelty of the highest order.”

The ex-vice president stated, “No serious government hides the blood of its citizens to protect political optics. A government that cannot protect the living but seeks to censor evidence of their deaths has lost every moral right to govern.

“This is no longer just a security failure. It is a moral failure. A leadership failure. A national disgrace.

“Nigerians deserve more than performative outrage and ceremonial condolences. They deserve a government that can protect lives, defend communities, and act before tragedy strikes — not one that merely reacts after the damage is done.”

Atiku called for the immediate rescue of all abducted victims in Oyo State, urgent and decisive security action across vulnerable communities, and a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s increasingly ineffective security architecture.

DHQ: Nigeria-US Joint Air Strikes on ISIS/ISWAP Areas Eliminate 175 Terrorists

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) announced fresh gains in ongoing counterterrorism operations being conducted jointly by Armed Forces of Nigeria and the United States Africa Command against ISIS terrorists in North-east Nigeria, revealing that 175 terrorists have so far been eliminated.

In a statement, Director of Defence Information, Major-General Samaila Uba, said the coordinated airstrikes, which commenced a few days ago, had continued to record significant operational successes across multiple terrorist enclaves in the region.

According to him, assessments conducted as of May 19 confirmed that 175 ISIS fighters had been neutralised during the operations.

The defence headquarters stated that the joint airstrikes also led to the destruction of ISIS checkpoints, weapons caches, logistical hubs, military equipment, and financial networks used to sustain terrorist activities.

“The operations further resulted in the elimination of several senior ISIS commanders, including Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as one of the most significant ISIS operatives globally,” Uba said.

According to the statement, al-Minuki played a major role in ISIS external operations, coordinating terrorist financing, recruitment, logistics, and attack planning targeting Nigerians and civilians across different parts of the world.

The military said his death had dealt a major blow to ISIS command structures, operational coordination, and external attack networks.

The statement revealed, “Other terrorist figures reportedly killed during the strikes include Abd-al Wahhab, an ISWAP senior leader responsible for coordinating attacks and distributing propaganda; Abu Musa al-Mangawi, a senior ISWAP member; and Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir, a senior member of the ISWAP media production team and close associate of al-Minuki.”

The defence headquarters stated that the latest operation further demonstrated the sustained commitment of the country’s armed forces to tracking down and eliminating terrorists wherever they operated within the country.

It added that the joint operations would continue until all individuals and groups threatening national security and regional stability were dismantled.

No Permanent Terrorist Operational Base Within South-west, Military Clarifies

The Nigerian military dismissed reports and public speculation suggesting the existence of a permanent terrorist operational base within the South-west geopolitical zone, insisting that no entrenched terrorist structure currently exists in the area.

The armed forces stated that the recent concerns followed the attack in Oyo State, but clarified that the incident did not indicate the presence of an established insurgent network in the region.

The military said the multiple abductions in schools within Oriire Local Government Area were isolated criminal acts and not evidence of a permanent terrorist camp.

It explained that troops had earlier carried out comprehensive clearance operations in the Old Oyo National Park (OONP), significantly degrading the operational capacity of criminal elements operating within the corridor.

In a statement by Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Michael Onoja, the military said current intelligence assessments did not support claims that terrorist groups had established structured or permanent bases within the forests or hinterlands of the South-west.

Onoja stated, “The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, on behalf of the Armed Forces of Nigeria extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the government and people of Oyo State, and the entire nation over the deeply painful and unconscionable attack on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.”

Oluyede described the abduction of innocent children and staff members as a callous and reprehensible act that struck at the heart of every Nigerian.

He assured grieving families that the full weight of the armed forces was being brought to bear to ensure the safe and unconditional return of every abducted victim.

The chief of defence staff also urged Nigerians to remain calm, united, and supportive of security agencies as operations continued in the affected areas.

According to the statement, “Criminal elements, however audacious their recent activities, do not constitute an established insurgent presence, and the Defence Headquarters cautions against narratives that may cause unnecessary public panic or embolden adversaries by overstating their capabilities.

“The Defence Headquarters wishes to assure all Nigerians, particularly residents of the South West, that own troops are currently deployed and actively operating within the forest in pursuit of the perpetrators and in search of the abducted victims.

“Troops made contact with the criminal elements two days ago, have since reorganised, and are continuing the search and pursuit operations with full determination.

“Working in close coordination with relevant security agencies, the Armed Forces is conducting intensive joint operations across forest corridors and ungoverned spaces in the zone.”

Onoja disclosed that the military was collaborating closely with local communities to gather credible human intelligence, saying community support re-mains vital to ongoing rescue operations.

He stated, “The joint effort with all security agencies and local vigilantes will ensure that the forest is thoroughly cleared of criminal elements and that lasting peace is restored to the region.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until every abducted victim is safely recovered, the criminal networks responsible are dismantled, and normalcy is gully restored across the South West and indeed all of Nigeria.” (Arise News)

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