Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has strongly condemned the abduction of candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Benue State, describing the incident as a reflection of deepening insecurity in the country.
- +Peter Obi condemns abduction of UTME candidates in Benue
In a post shared on his verified X handle on Friday, Obi said the kidnapping of the students was both heartbreaking and a serious indictment of leadership failure.
In a post shared on his verified X handle on Friday, Obi said the kidnapping of the students was both heartbreaking and a serious indictment of leadership failure.
“The news of the abduction of innocent UTME candidates in Benue State is not just heartbreaking but a damning indictment of the failure of leadership and the collapse of security in our nation,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor lamented that young Nigerians pursuing education are increasingly being exposed to violence, warning that such a trend poses a grave threat to the country’s future.
“We cannot afford to lose even one more student to violence. A nation that abandons its youth abandons its future,” he added.
Obi also highlighted Nigeria’s low rate of tertiary education attainment, noting that the situation is far below that of comparable countries.
“In a country where the share of tertiary graduates is already painfully low, far below peers like Indonesia and South Africa, such an incident is unacceptable,” he said.
He further criticised those in authority, accusing them of prioritising political interests over the safety of citizens.
“Those entrusted with protecting these young students appear increasingly preoccupied with the next election, projecting strength and power to rig elections, rather than deploying that same power to secure our roads and rescue the abducted children,” he stated.
Describing the incident as part of a troubling pattern, Obi called for urgent and decisive action to address insecurity nationwide.
“This is no longer an isolated tragedy. It is a pattern. It is a national crisis. And it demands urgent, decisive, and responsible action, not excuses, not silence, but leadership that matches the scale of the emergency,” he said.
