Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Federal Government demanding the immediate rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area in Oyo State, while calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's security architecture and accusing the Tinubu administration of prioritising 2027 re-election politics over the safety and welfare of Nigerians. The lawmakers also condemned the killing of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar in captivity, described a court ruling deregistering five opposition parties as a calculated attempt to weaken democracy, and urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend all 2027 election activities and declare a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly Complex on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, the Minority Leader, Hon. Fred Agbedi, declared that "Nigeria is bleeding, Nigeria is confused, and Nigeria is being deliberately pushed to the brink". He said the caucus was speaking "with a heavy heart but with unshaken resolve" as the country faces what he described as a convergence of insecurity, judicial confusion, and a "desperate plot to kill the opposition before 2027". The caucus expressed grave concern over the continued captivity of schoolchildren and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, 2026, when armed bandits attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School in Ahoro‑Esinle, killing a teacher and abducting dozens of pupils and staff, many of them young children. As of mid-June, the victims remained in the hands of their abductors, with security agencies struggling to secure their release. "As we speak, school children and their teachers abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity. Their crime? Going to school in Nigeria," Agbedi stated. The caucus demanded an "immediate, coordinated, no-ransom rescue operation within 72 hours," warning that "each hour these children spend with terrorists is an hour stolen from Nigeria's future".
The lawmakers condemned the murder of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, who was abducted alongside his wife on May 30, 2026, along the Katsina–Matazu Road. The Katsina State Government later announced that the retired officer died in captivity, attributing his death to complications from diabetes and hypertension. The military subsequently rescued his widow, Hajia Amina Abubakar, in a follow‑up operation. Agbedi described the incident as a "grave indictment of a failed state" and a national embarrassment. "That a General of the Nigerian Army, who once commanded troops and defended this nation, could be kidnapped alongside his wife and later declared dead under unclear circumstances is a grave indictment of a failed state," he said. He noted that two other generals and commanding officers had earlier been slain in battle "without the repercussions of their sad demise visited on anyone or group". "If a General is not safe within the borders of our nation, then who truly is? Not even our respected traditional rulers and monarchs, who have now become easy targets of vicious bandits who kidnap and kill them at will," Agbedi declared. The caucus demanded a full, transparent investigation into the general's abduction and murder, and called on President Tinubu to "live up to the title of Commander-in-Chief" by producing a clear security strategy. "Until the Administration defines a clear vision… bandits continue to encircle the entire country, moving from Niger to Kwara, Oyo, etc., without as much as a pushback," Agbedi said.
The caucus also launched a blistering attack on a ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which on Monday, June 15, 2026, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties – the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) – for allegedly failing to meet constitutional performance requirements. The ruling had threatened the political future of several opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke. Agbedi described the judgment as "political mischief" and "a calculated attempt to muscle legitimate opposition out of the race for the 2027 Presidency". He questioned why the plaintiff's convener was "holed up in the sanctuary of the presidential villa as aide to President Tinubu's chief of staff," alleging a pattern of "external manipulations and executive meddlesomeness". "This judgment, coming only months to the country's general elections and after a subsisting Appeal Court decision on the same matter, is not intended to serve justice. Instead, it appears to be a deliberate ploy to engender judicial chaos weaponised to destabilise the polity," Agbedi said. The caucus welcomed the intervention of the Court of Appeal, which on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, granted a stay of execution of the lower court's judgment and rebuked Justice Lifu for "judicial impertinence". The lawmakers urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere‑Ekun, to intervene to address conflicting judicial decisions and protect the integrity of the judiciary. They also warned INEC not to be used "to sabotage democracy".
The Minority Caucus called on President Tinubu to suspend all 2027 election activities and instead declare a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan to address the country's worsening insecurity and economic hardship. "The life of every Nigerian matters. Politics must take the back seat when the nation bleeds. We must secure Nigeria first," Agbedi said. Citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, the caucus demanded an immediate overhaul of the nation's security architecture. Agbedi called for stronger investment in security intelligence, improved welfare for frontline troops, and a comprehensive restructuring of the security framework. The lawmakers also expressed concern over rising food prices, unemployment, kidnappings, and violent attacks across the country, arguing that political campaigns and succession calculations are premature and insensitive. They accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency of focusing on "endorsement rallies, defections, re-election strategies" while citizens face "hunger, killings, kidnappings, collapse of the naira, collapse of hope". Despite their criticisms, the Minority Caucus assured Nigerians not to despair, stressing that the 2027 general election would ultimately be decided by the people and not by Aso Rock or compromised courts. "We will not be silent. We will not be intimidated," Agbedi declared.
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