The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO), under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intensify efforts to secure the release of prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State.
The campaign organisation also demanded the safe return of other Nigerians held by kidnappers across Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno and other states.
The call followed the October 1 attack on buses conveying prospective corps members from Ibadan to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South.
The Imo State Police Command has confirmed the incident, while security agencies have continued efforts to rescue those still in captivity.
In a statement by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the campaign organisation said it was concerned that the President had not publicly addressed the abduction with the urgency it expected.
“Notwithstanding the fact that Nigerians are determined to vote out the President, it is still unpardonable that four days after the abduction of the corps members and despite the public outcry, President Tinubu has remained silent,” Ihediwa said.
The APM argued that the Federal Government had a constitutional responsibility to protect Nigerians, citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
Ihediwa further argued that the responsibility was even more important in the case of youths called up for national service, insisting that the Federal Government must ensure their safety.
He said the government could no longer afford to treat kidnapping and other security challenges as issues requiring only rhetoric, adding that the APM expected decisive action to secure the release of the victims.
The campaign organisation also alleged that insecurity had continued to claim lives and leave many Nigerians in captivity, calling for stronger measures against kidnappers, terrorists and bandits.
“These ugly indices are unacceptable and can no longer be overlooked by Nigerians,” the statement said.
The MDPCO urged Tinubu to step up efforts to secure the abducted corps members and other Nigerians still being held by their captors.
The organisation also called for a more decisive approach to the wider security crisis, saying the safety of citizens must remain a priority of government.
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