The House of Representatives Minority Caucus has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Federal Government to secure the release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, while demanding urgent reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture amid escalating insecurity across the country.

Addressing journalists at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Minority Leader, Fred Agbedi, said the worsening security situation had exposed significant weaknesses in the nation’s security framework and called for immediate action to protect Nigerians.

The caucus urged the Federal Government to launch a special military operation to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers within three days.

According to Agbedi, repeated cases of mass abductions and violent attacks have become unacceptable and are eroding public confidence in the government’s ability to guarantee safety.

He accused the government of relying on rhetoric rather than concrete measures to tackle insecurity.

“The country deserves to know how terrorists now kill generals with such impunity. There must be a full and transparent investigation into how this happened and why security systems failed,” Agbedi said.

The lawmakers were reacting to the reported killing of Major-General Rabe Abubakar, who allegedly died while being held captive by terrorists in Katsina State.

The caucus described the incident as a disturbing indication of the increasing boldness of terrorist groups and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the senior military officer’s abduction and death.

Agbedi also urged the government to move beyond what he described as propaganda-driven responses to insecurity and focus on strengthening intelligence gathering, improving operational funding for security agencies, enhancing the welfare of troops and reducing political interference in security matters.

The opposition lawmakers further criticised a recent Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of five political parties, warning that such decisions could undermine Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general election.

Describing the ruling as excessive, Agbedi said it amounted to “rascality taken too far” and called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to intervene over what he termed conflicting judicial pronouncements on political party deregistration.

The caucus also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission, to protect the integrity of the electoral process and resist any attempt to compromise the 2027 elections.

In a direct appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the lawmakers called for the suspension of political activities related to the 2027 elections and urged the administration to focus on governance, security and economic recovery.

“Politics must take the back seat when the country is bleeding. Government exists primarily for the security and welfare of the people, and securing Nigeria must now take precedence over political calculations,” Agbedi said.

The caucus also proposed a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan to address the twin challenges of insecurity and economic hardship, while urging Nigerians not to lose faith in democracy.

The lawmakers maintained that restoring confidence in governance, securing citizens against rising violence and safeguarding democratic institutions remain critical to Nigeria’s stability and future. (The Sun)