Atiku blames govt’s failure for journalists, others’ kidnapping

Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has blamed the latest kidnappings, including those of some journalists and their families in Kaduna, on the dire needs of the nation’s security and the failure of leaders to protect the citizens.

He made the assertion in a statement he issued on Sunday, saying that the abductions are an indictment on the leaders and an assault on press freedom.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election wrote: “In these perilous times, the courageous sentinels of truth, our journalists, stand as beacons of light, unwavering in their duty to hold power accountable.

“Yet, they find themselves besieged not only by the terror of abductors but also by a government that continues to assault their freedom through arrests and detention.

“Adding to this travesty is the kidnapping of 78-year-old Mr. Takai Shamang, President and Founder of Gantys Aid for Widows, Orphans, and Needy Foundation (GAWON) and former President General of the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers (now known as the National Union of Electricity Employees) between 1982 and 1989.

“Before then, Janet Galadima-Gimba, a customary court judge in the same Kaduna, had been abducted and released. But her sons are still in captivity, with the abductors reportedly making a demand of N150 million as ransom. Elsewhere in Katsina, 75-year-old Hauwa’u Adamu, mother of the popular Hausa singer, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, or Rarara, as he is fondly known, was kidnapped on Friday.

“This despicable act underscores the dire state of our nation’s security and the gross failure of our leaders to protect its citizens.

“These abductions are damning indictments of our leaders’ failure to secure the safety of citizens and an intolerable breach of press freedom (as it relates to the journalists).

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the abducted. I call upon the security agencies to act decisively and without delay to secure their release, but to prioritise intelligence gathering and sharing.”

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