Govt Has Abandoned Education, Atiku Reacts to Kogi School Kidnappings

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government over the abduction of students, a school principal and a National Examinations Council official in Kogi State, accusing the Tinubu administration of abandoning education and failing to secure schools.

Atiku made the remarks on Wednesday following the attack on Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, where gunmen reportedly kidnapped the school principal, a NECO ad hoc official and several students writing the ongoing Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the incident as evidence of what he called the government’s inability to fulfil its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and educational institutions.

He said it was tragic that students could no longer sit for public examinations without fear of being attacked by kidnappers.

“An examination hall should be a sanctuary of hope, not a crime scene. A school principal should be preparing students for the future, not negotiating with kidnappers. A NECO official should be supervising examinations, not struggling for survival in the hands of bandits,” Atiku stated.

The former vice president argued that the Kogi attack reflected a growing pattern of assaults on schools across the country, warning that educational institutions had become vulnerable targets because criminal groups no longer feared government authority.

According to him, the deteriorating security situation is closely linked to what he described as the Federal Government’s neglect of the education sector.

Atiku also criticised recent increases in examination fees, alleging that government policies had made education less affordable while failing to provide adequate security for students and teachers.

He argued that the country was witnessing what he described as a “double assault” on Nigerian children by making education more expensive and exposing learners to insecurity.

The ADC presidential candidate further questioned the Federal Government’s spending priorities, alleging that resources were being directed to projects of little national value while critical sectors such as education and security remained underfunded.

He called on the Federal Government to take urgent and decisive steps to improve security around schools and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s education system.