PDP calls school closure act of Tinubu surrendering to terrorists
… condemns leadership weakness as cause of insecurity.
The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of “surrendering to terrorists” following the closure of schools in parts of the North after a fresh wave of mass kidnappings.
At a media briefing by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party said the recent abductions of 25 students in Kebbi State and 315 students and staff in Niger State underscored the escalating insecurity ravaging the country, particularly under the APC-led Federal Government.
According to the PDP, each kidnapping “leaves a trail of sorrows, tears, blood, fear, and deep anguish,” yet the Federal Government has failed to provide coherent direction or decisive action.
The party condemned what it described as a fragmented response from state governments in the absence of strong leadership at the centre.
The PDP particularly faulted the government’s move, already being implemented by some states and reportedly considered at the federal level, to shut down schools in vulnerable areas.
It said such an action would “amount to a complete surrender to terrorists whose sole aim is to shut down schools and prevent children from obtaining formal education.”
“If the schools are closed, the goal of the terrorists would have been inadvertently achieved,” the statement warned.
The party urged the Federal Government to adopt a comprehensive, intelligence-driven security plan rather than “simplistic, quick-fix approaches to complex governance challenges.”
Citing UNICEF data, the opposition noted that Northern Nigeria already bears the largest burden of the country’s 18.3 million out-of-school children—10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the secondary level—and that further shutdowns would worsen an already dire outlook.
The PDP also criticised what it described as President Tinubu’s “lacklustre and unempathetic” response to the recent incidents.
Instead of visiting affected communities in Kebbi and Niger to commiserate with families and assess the situation firsthand, the party said, the President merely directed the Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi.
“A juxtaposition of the large contingents sent to the US Congress and the G-20 meeting with the lone envoy dispatched to handle this crisis exposes the levity with which the presidency treats this matter,” the statement said, describing the administration’s posture as “insensitive” and “dismissive of the gravity of the problem.”
The PDP called on the Federal Government to immediately fund and implement the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, which centres on community intelligence and rapid security response mechanisms.
It argued that worsening insecurity around schools would further discourage education in the region, deepening poverty and instability.
Reiterating that the protection of lives and property remains the foremost duty of government, the PDP said any administration unwilling or unable to fulfil this responsibility “must either ask for help or honourably resign, if it is sincere and responsible.”
