Former VP Condemns Kogi School Attack, Links Insecurity to Broader Governance Failures
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has sharply criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu following the abduction of a school principal, a National Examinations Council (NECO) official, and students during a NECO examination in Kogi State. In a strongly worded statement, Atiku argued that the incident demonstrates a fundamental collapse of the state’s duty to protect its citizens, particularly its children.
According to a report from Daily Trust, bandits invaded Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, late on a Thursday, disrupting the ongoing examination and taking several individuals hostage. Atiku, reacting through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the attack proves that the Nigerian state has abdicated its most basic responsibility: the protection of life, learning, and the future of its children.
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A ‘Dangerous National Pattern’
Atiku described the situation as both tragic and disgraceful, noting that children in today’s Nigeria can no longer sit for public examinations without the terrifying prospect of being marched into the forest by armed criminals. He stated that an examination hall should be a sanctuary of hope, not a crime scene, and that a school principal should be preparing students for the future, not negotiating with kidnappers.
The former vice president emphasised that the latest attack is not an isolated tragedy but part of a dangerous national pattern in which educational institutions have become preferred targets. He argued that criminals no longer fear the Nigerian state, a reality he directly linked to the current administration’s policies and attitude toward education.
Linking Insecurity to Education Policy
Atiku drew a direct connection between the attack and what he described as the government’s neglect of the education sector. He pointed to what he called unprecedented increases in WAEC and NECO examination fees, the neglect of public schools, and a failure to secure learning environments. He asserted that government policies have sent a clear message that education is no longer a national priority.
“First, they price poor children out of classrooms. Then they fail to protect those who remain in school. This is a double assault on the future of Nigeria,” Atiku said, characterising the situation as a combination of economic exclusion and violent intimidation that amounts to a systematic destruction of the dreams of an entire generation.
Budget Priorities Under Fire
In a pointed critique of fiscal governance, Atiku argued that the repeated incompetence witnessed under the Tinubu administration is the inevitable consequence of a government that has abandoned probity, discipline, and accountability in public finance. He described the national budget as a solemn statement of priorities, not a political souvenir or a personal wish list.
He specifically cited what he termed questionable budget insertions, including a 6.4 billion Naira allocation for an “Aso Rock Supporters Club” for the 2026 World Cup. Atiku argued that when the budget is littered with such phantom priorities, the inevitable result is underfunded and poorly secured schools, failing public institutions, and maladministration. “That is how governments create the vacuum that criminals exploit,” he said.
Emboldened Criminal Gangs
Atiku warned that every successful attack on a school emboldens other criminal groups, making educational institutions increasingly attractive targets because the consequences have been minimal and the response largely reactive. He accused the government of showing greater urgency for political campaigns than for protecting schools, and of mobilising enormous state resources when politics is involved while struggling to provide effective security around educational institutions.
“Every successful kidnapping convinces another criminal gang that Nigerian schoolchildren are easy targets,” he said.
Call for Action
The former vice president called for the immediate and unconditional rescue of every abducted victim and demanded a comprehensive review of security arrangements for all schools and examination centres across the federation. He urged the Federal Government to stop issuing routine statements after every tragedy and instead implement measurable security reforms that restore public confidence.
Atiku concluded that the collapse of school security is not merely a security failure but a collapse of governance itself, warning that a country where children cannot safely write examinations is a country steadily surrendering its future to fear.