Mr Paul Ibe, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s media adviser, has urged the Department of State Services and other security agencies to invite Yoruba nation campaigner Sunday Igboho to reveal the identities of politicians he claims are sponsoring kidnappers responsible for the abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State.
Ibe made the demand in a post on X on Thursday, claiming that security officials should use all credible information they may find to help rescue victims and dismantle criminal networks responsible for the attacks.
His statement followed Igboho’s recent comments at a meeting with members of the National Association of Nigerian Students, in which the activist claimed to know the politicians supposedly supporting kidnappers operating in the South-West.
The remarks were made in the context of concerns about the kidnapping of students and teachers in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area, a development that has reignited fears about the spread of kidnapping and insecurity into communities that were previously thought to be safer than some of the country’s conflict-prone areas.
In response to Igboho’s assertions, Ibe stated that if he does have information that could help ongoing investigations, security agencies should contact him promptly.
“Since Sunday, Ighoho claims to know those behind the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State; I think that the State Security Service and other security agencies knew to invite him to release those names to them.
“All possible options should be considered to expedite the safe release of the school children and teachers.”
Ibe also expanded the discussion to the country’s broader insecurity concerns, challenging what he saw as the federal government’s lacklustre response to the alleged kidnapping of more than 50 students in Mussa, Borno State, on May 15.
Drawing a parallel between the government responses to the episodes in Oyo and Borno states, he inquired, “By the way, who knows who is behind the abduction of nearly 50 schoolchildren in Mussa, Borno State, on May 15, 2026?”
“Why are Tinubu and his government mute over the Borno abduction? Are those school children not Nigerians? When will the Commander-in-Chief and Consoler-in-Chief send a delegation to Mussa like it did in the case of Oriire?
“When will Borno and other vulnerable states get their own forest guards? Why wait for a tragedy to occur before the Tinubu government takes action to stem insecurity in our country?”
Igboho informed his visitors that the kidnappers were not invincible and could be dislodged if decisive action was taken against them.
“If I am permitted to burst into the hideouts, they will flee. They are neither gnomes nor mannequins; they are humans, so they can be dislodged.
“I know the politicians behind them, and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts, I will mention them all. I know them. The politicians behind them are the ones giving them ammunition and money,” he said.
The most recent conversation has once again drawn national attention to the subject of school safety and the ongoing threat presented by kidnapping gangs in various parts of the country.
Over the last decade, Nigeria has seen a series of mass abductions aimed at schools, mainly in northern states, prompting recurrent calls for more intelligence gathering, community policing, and protection for vulnerable areas.
While security services have yet to officially reply to either Igboho’s allegations or Ibe’s call, the comments are likely to increase pressure on authorities to examine suspicions of political sponsorship of criminal gangs and ensure the release of remaining captives.
The claims also highlight growing worries about the nexus of politics, criminality, and insecurity, a topic that has stayed at the forefront of national conversation as Nigeria grapples with kidnapping, banditry, and other violent crimes in multiple locations.
