The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of failing to provide clear leadership on national security, warning that any move to close schools in the North due to rising kidnappings would amount to “a complete surrender to terrorists”.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party said Nigerians had witnessed a frightening increase in mass abductions in the past week, including the kidnapping of 25 students in Kebbi State and 315 students and staff in Niger State.
The PDP said these incidents had left “sorrows, tears, blood, fear, and deep anguish” across communities while the Federal Government had yet to provide a coordinated response.
The opposition party expressed concern over reports that some affected state governments had already closed schools and that the Federal Government was considering a similar measure. It warned that shutting down schools would play directly into the hands of terrorists who have repeatedly attacked educational institutions to discourage formal learning.
“If the schools are closed, the goal of the terrorists would have been inadvertently achieved,” the PDP said, describing the plan as “a simplistic approach” typical of the APC government.
The party called instead for a comprehensive and sustainable security strategy, noting that Northern Nigeria already suffers from the country’s worst education challenges. It cited UNICEF figures showing 18.3 million out-of-school children, most of whom are in the North, and warned that school closures would further weaken the region.
According to the PDP, the wave of attacks within one week shows the “alarming insecurity that has become the contemporary lived experience” of Nigerians under the Tinubu administration.
The statement also criticised what it described as the government’s slow and unfeeling response to tragedies. It faulted President Tinubu for not visiting the affected states and families, saying that dispatching only the Minister of State for Defence to Kebbi showed “levity” in handling a matter of national concern.
The party added that the contrast between the delegation sent to international events and the “lone envoy” sent to Kebbi highlighted misplaced priorities.
The PDP urged the Federal Government to urgently fund and implement the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, which focuses on community intelligence and rapid security response systems to protect educational institutions.
“Insecurity in schools will be a big disincentive for education in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria,” the statement warned.
The party concluded by reminding President Tinubu that the security of lives and property remains the primary duty of any government. If the administration is “unwilling, unable or incapable” of fulfilling this responsibility, the PDP said, it should “ask for help or honourably resign”.
