‘A True Mother Doesn’t Celebrate While Her Children Are Missing’ – Atiku Blasts First Lady Remi Tinubu Over Abducted Schoolchildren

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, have lambasted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, accusing the administration of displaying “shocking insensitivity” while abducted schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo State remain in captivity.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 elections, in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said it was disturbing that nearly three weeks after the pupils and teachers were kidnapped on May 15, 2026, the Nigerian government has failed to secure their release, while public officials continued to engage in political activities and celebrations.

According to the former vice president, the government’s conduct has projected an atmosphere of indifference to the suffering of families whose children and relatives are still being held by kidnappers.

“At a time when parents are living through unimaginable anguish, the government appears more preoccupied with political engagements than with bringing those children home,” Atiku said.

According to him, leadership goes beyond occupying public office and must be measured by the level of empathy shown during periods of national distress.

Atiku particularly criticised the First Lady, noting that many of the activities that have attracted public condemnation were personally associated with her.

Referring to the popular refrain often used by supporters to describe Oluremi Tinubu as the “mother of the nation,” Atiku questioned what kind of mother could continue with celebrations and political engagements while children remained in captivity.

“A true mother does not celebrate while her children are missing,” he said. “A true mother does not preside over political festivities while families are trapped in agony, praying daily for the safe return of their loved ones.

“A true mother would use every platform available to keep the plight of those children at the forefront of national consciousness until they are safely reunited with their families.”

Atiku said many Nigerians had been confronted with images of political gatherings, campaign-style events and the distribution of vehicles to political associates at a time when families of abducted victims continued to endure sleepless nights.

He described the contrast between the suffering of the affected families and the activities of government officials as “painful and deeply disturbing.”

Atiku also criticised what he termed extravagant displays of power and influence, including heavily publicised convoys and political engagements, despite worsening insecurity and economic hardship across the country.

According to him, symbolism matters in governance, especially during moments of national tragedy.

“When children are missing, the nation expects urgency. When teachers are abducted, the nation expects compassion,” he said.

“What Nigerians do not expect is political pageantry. They do not expect campaign songs. They do not expect celebrations.

“They certainly do not expect luxury gifts being handed out to political loyalists while families are living through one of the darkest moments of their lives,” Atiku added.

The former vice president further lamented what he described as the normalisation of mass kidnappings under the current administration, warning that a lack of urgency in responding to such incidents could embolden criminal groups and deepen public despair.

He called on the Nigerian government to deploy all available security and intelligence resources to secure the immediate release of the abducted pupils and teachers and ensure that those responsible are apprehended and prosecuted.

Atiku maintained that history would judge leaders not by political meetings, support groups or gifts distributed to loyalists, but by how they responded when innocent citizens were in danger.

“At a time like this, Nigerians do not need political choreography. They need leadership. They do not need celebrations,” he said.

“They need results. They do not need propaganda. They need the safe return of every abducted child and teacher.

“Until that happens, every display of political merriment is a painful reminder of a government that appears increasingly disconnected from the suffering of its own people,” he added.

Also, former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, expressed concern over what he described as the country’s increasing tolerance of insecurity and recurring school kidnappings.

In a statement issued on Friday, Obi compared the current wave of abductions with the global reaction that followed the 2014 kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State.

“Yet, what has happened since then should trouble every Nigerian. Under President Buhari’s eight years in office, Nigeria witnessed about ten school abductions.”

Obi continued, “Under President Tinubu’s administration, in just three years, we have already recorded over ten school abductions.

“Despite these repeated tragedies, there has been neither sustained national outrage nor significant international attention comparable to what followed Chibok.

“This raises an important question: have we become so accustomed to insecurity that what once shocked our national conscience is now treated as normal?”

Obi further accused political leaders of focusing on electoral calculations rather than addressing the country’s pressing challenges.

According to him, “It is, therefore, no surprise that some observers have labelled us a ‘Now Disgraced Nation’.

“While we do not agree with any attempt to define our great country by its present difficulties, we must acknowledge that persistent insecurity, economic hardship, and leadership failure have damaged our reputation and standing among nations.”

On May 27, SaharaReporters reported that several Nigerians on social media platform X lambasted the First Lady, accusing her of insensitivity for celebrating Children’s Day without acknowledging children currently held captive by kidnappers across the country, particularly the ones recently kidnapped from Oyo and Borno schools.

The angry reactions followed a Children’s Day message released by the First Lady on May 27, 2026, where she extended goodwill messages to Nigerian children and urged them to focus on building a better future.

Many Nigerians faulted the statement, accusing the First Lady of ignoring the painful reality facing several families whose children remain in captivity after being abducted by kidnappers and terrorists.

Critics described her message as disconnected from the suffering of many Nigerians, especially families whose children have been kidnapped in different parts of the country.

On May 15, 2026, armed men stormed two rural communities, Yawota and Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Their targets were schools. In coordinated raids, they abducted students and teachers, forcing them into the bush. Witnesses described the attackers as heavily armed, moving swiftly and leaving behind panic and destruction.

Parents and villagers were left in anguish, with classrooms emptied and communities thrown into fear.

On the same day, in Borno State, suspected Boko Haram militants attacked the community of Mussa in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting 42 schoolchildren and local residents, echoing the horrors of Chibok in 2014.