The Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has described the Presidency’s claim that he remained silent following the rescue of the abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State as a reckless distortion of facts that collapses under the weight of documentary evidence.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said there are only two possible explanations for the Presidency’s latest outburst: either its media handlers were too lazy to acquaint themselves with publicly available facts before rushing to attack the opposition, or they were too embarrassed by the substance of his statement to acknowledge its existence.

“It is astonishing that a Presidency with limitless public resources could accuse someone of silence without carrying out the most basic verification. Either they failed to read our statement because they were too lazy to do so, or they deliberately ignored it because it exposed uncomfortable truths about their misplaced priorities.”

Atiku said that, contrary to the false narrative being peddled, he issued a comprehensive press statement earlier today titled ‘A Nation at War Needs a Commander-in-Chief, Not a Campaigner-in-Chief’, in which he welcomed the rescue of the children, commended the gallantry of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, and called for sustained efforts to rescue every Nigerian still in captivity.

“For the benefit of Nigerians and to expose the falsehood being circulated by the Presidency, we reproduce below the relevant portions of that statement.”

> “The Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has welcomed the rescue of the abducted schoolchildren and teachers from Oyo State, describing it as a moment of profound relief for their families and millions of Nigerians who never stopped praying for their safe return.”

> “In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku commended the courage, professionalism and sacrifice of the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies whose gallantry made the operation possible.”

> “‘The rescue of innocent schoolchildren from the hands of terrorists is a victory for our gallant troops and a source of hope for every Nigerian family. They deserve the gratitude of the nation,’ Atiku stated.”

> “Atiku stressed that the successful rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren should not distract the nation from the painful reality that many other Nigerians—including abducted schoolchildren and innocent citizens in Borno and several other parts of the country—remain in captivity.”

> “‘One successful rescue must not become an excuse for self-congratulation. A nation cannot celebrate while other parents still go to bed not knowing whether their children are alive or dead. Our work is not done until every abducted Nigerian is safely reunited with his or her family.'”

> “Atiku urged the Federal Government to sustain relentless pressure on terrorists, bandits and kidnappers until every abducted Nigerian is rescued and every community under siege regains peace and security.”

Atiku said the reproduced excerpts expose the Presidency’s allegation as entirely false.

“The facts are now before Nigerians. We did not only congratulate the security agencies, we praised their courage, professionalism and sacrifice in unmistakable terms. What we declined to do was to applaud a Commander-in-Chief who, at a defining moment of national importance, remained publicly preoccupied with partisan political activities instead of personally leading the nation in celebrating the success of our troops and reassuring families whose loved ones remain in captivity.”

He added that no amount of propaganda can erase the fundamental questions raised in the earlier statement.

“The rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren brought joy to the nation, but Nigerians are still asking: when will the children abducted in Borno and other innocent citizens across the country also regain their freedom? Those questions remain unanswered.”

Atiku urged the Presidency to devote less energy to manufacturing controversies around opposition statements and more energy to confronting the grave security challenges facing the country.

“A government secure in its performance does not invent silence where there was a documented public statement. It responds to legitimate concerns with facts and results, not propaganda. Nigerians deserve a Presidency focused on rescuing every citizen still in captivity rather than one preoccupied with monitoring and misrepresenting the opposition.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday, held a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s Security Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as the Federal government reviewed the worsening security situation across the country.

The meeting focused on a comprehensive assessment of security challenges and developments across various theatres of operation.

Among those in attendance were the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu; and Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiandeye.

Also present were the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Adeola Ajayi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.) alongside other security officials.

The meeting came 48 hours after troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, supported by the Air Component of the Joint Task Force (North West), foiled what the military described as a major planned terrorist offensive in Zamfara State and Katsina.

According to the military, the operation, carried out on July 7, involved three Nigerian Air Force aircraft that tracked a convoy of about 300 heavily armed terrorists travelling on motorcycles from the Sunke-Kumbo axis towards Gummi before launching precision airstrikes on the convoy.

The outcome of Thursday’s security meeting was not immediately disclosed, but it comes amid growing concerns over persistent attacks by terrorists, bandits, and other armed groups in several parts of the country.

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare the legal framework for implementing state police across the country.

Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the panel at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The inauguration followed the Senate’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, proposing a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.

Tinubu said while the constitutional amendment creates the framework for state police, the National Policing Bill would provide the legal structure for its implementation.

He said, “The Constitution Amendment Bill establishes in the framework for dual policing, but it does not operationalise it. That work is left to the National Policing Bill.”

He said the proposed legislation would address policing standards, state readiness, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and personnel transition.

“The proposed National Policing Bill will include provisions on minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions,” he noted.

The president said that the committee will produce an implementation-ready draft bill immediately after the constitutional amendment process.

“The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly,” Tinubu said.

He said the committee would also recommend other legal instruments required for the smooth implementation of the dual policing system.

“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” he said.

Gbajabiamila will serve as chairman of the committee, while members include the Attorney-General of the Federation, National Security Adviser and Inspector-General of Police.

Others are; President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Chairman, Nigeria  Governors’ Forum (NGF), Chairman, NGF Committee on State Police and a Secretariat.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi described the initiative as timely in view of Nigeria’s security challenges.

“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” he said.

Fagbemi urged governors to ensure speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective state assemblies.

“I appeal to the governors to do their utmost to ensure the early passage of the constitutional amendment because this is a shared responsibility,” he said.

President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Afam Osigwe, reaffirmed the association’s support for the state police initiative.

“Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police. We fully support the constitutional amendment providing for state police,”  he said.

Osigwe, however, stressed the need for adequate legal safeguards to prevent abuse of state police.

“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” he said.

He pledged the NBA’s commitment to supporting the committee in producing legislation that will strengthen security while protecting citizens’ rights.

Speaking on behalf of the NGF, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State pledged governors’ support for the speedy implementation of the reform.

He said the plan is for the 36 state governors to accelerate work on the bill once it gets to their various House of Assembly and passed unanimously.

“The plan is that when the bill gets to our various Houses of Assembly, we will all pass it on the same day,” he said.

Abiodun described the proposed state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing.

“This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List.”

He said the initiative validated the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.

“This bill has validated the effectiveness of community policing as demonstrated by Amotekun in the South-West,’ he said.

Abiodun said state police would significantly increase the number of security personnel across the country.

“If each state deploys about 6,000 personnel, we will add nearly 200,000 officers to complement the existing federal police.”.

The governor commended Tinubu for initiating implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process was completed.

“This inauguration demonstrates the proactiveness of the Executive in preparing for effective implementation,”  Abiodun said.