Obi Blasts FG Over Killings, Abductions After Vowing to Personally Lead Rescue Operations

…Expert question: who commands the ‘Situation Room’ when the Commander-in-Chief is in the forest?

By Abu Adamu
Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has again lambasted the Federal Government over persistent killings and abductions across the country, warning that Nigeria must not be allowed to become a “killing field.”

But the former Anambra State governor’s latest intervention comes against the backdrop of his earlier declaration that, if he were President, he would personally lead security forces into forests to rescue kidnapped Nigerians — a proposition that has raised questions in security circles about the distinction between the strategic responsibilities of a Commander-in-Chief and the tactical duties of military and security commanders in the field.

In a statement on Sunday, Obi cited recent attacks in Benue, Plateau, and Niger states as evidence of what he described as a worsening national security crisis, insisting that the government must move from reacting to atrocities to preventing them.

“What is happening in Benue, Plateau, and Niger is similar to what is happening elsewhere in the country, with some attacks even going unreported,” Obi said.

“Nigeria is not officially at war, yet citizens are being attacked in their villages, abducted after prayers, driven from their homes, and stripped of their farms.”

He called for better intelligence gathering, stronger rapid-response capabilities, intensified rescue efforts, and the arrest of those responsible for the violence.

“I urge governments at all levels to wake up to their responsibility and take urgent and decisive action to end this madness once and for all,” he said.

“We cannot keep counting bodies after every attack. We must prevent these attacks before they happen.”

The statement followed controversial remarks by Obi during a live interview on Afia TV in which he said that, as President, he would have personally moved with security forces into the Oyo forests within two days of the May 15 abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area rather than allow their captivity to stretch for 56 days.

The abductees were eventually released in July after more than seven weeks in captivity.

Obi argued that a President confronted with such an emergency should demonstrate decisive leadership by going directly to the theatre of operations, stressing that the forests concerned were within Nigerian territory and therefore should not be beyond the reach of the state.

He acknowledged that such an operation could carry risks, including casualties, but maintained that the overriding responsibility of government was to secure the safe return of kidnapped citizens.

The proposal, however, raised a fundamental question over the proper role of a President who is constitutionally Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces but is not ordinarily the tactical commander of individual military operations.

“A President personally accompanying security forces into one forest or operational theatre would inevitably raise questions about who would remain at the strategic command-and-control level to exercise presidential authority should simultaneous emergencies develop elsewhere in the country,” Jide Adeojo, a security analyst, told KTH Daily.

This is even more so because Obi did not explain during that interview how presidential command would be exercised across other theatres if the Commander-in-Chief were physically embedded in a rescue operation, nor whether his presence would be operationally necessary once military and security commanders had received the appropriate executive directives.

“The issue is particularly significant because the President may be required at short notice to take decisions involving several security agencies or theatres simultaneously, so how can he do that from the forests with unpredictable communications and even internet access,” Adeojo, a retired military intelligence officer questioned.

During the Afia TV interview, Obi also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the Oyo abduction, accusing the Federal Government of responding too slowly and faulting what he said was the President’s failure to personally telephone Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde during the prolonged captivity.

He further criticised what he regarded as excessive secrecy surrounding rescue operations and the arrest of suspected kidnappers, arguing for greater transparency in the government’s handling of major security cases.

Obi drew on his experience as governor of Anambra State, saying he had confronted criminals operating from forests after consultations with the relevant authorities, and presented this as evidence of the hands-on approach he would bring to national security.

In his latest statement, however, the NDC candidate concentrated on the growing human toll.

He cited the attack on Jwak Maitumbi in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, saying at least 23 people were officially reported killed, while residents claimed that the death toll exceeded 30. He said more than 45 houses were reportedly destroyed.

Obi also referred to attacks in Borgu, Niger State, where reports indicated that more than 40 people had been killed and over 100 abducted, although he acknowledged that the casualty and abduction figures remained disputed.

Benue, he said, continued to suffer repeated attacks, killings, abductions and the destruction of homes and livelihoods.

According to Obi, the incidents should no longer be treated as isolated outbreaks of violence but as manifestations of a wider national security emergency requiring a coordinated response by federal, state and local authorities.

“Protecting lives and property is the most basic duty of government. Nigerians deserve nothing less,” he said.

Warning against allowing repeated killings and kidnappings to become accepted as part of everyday Nigerian life, Obi declared: “Nigeria must not become a killing field.”