Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, has called on Nigeria’s security agencies to summon Yoruba nation campaigner Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho, to disclose the identities of politicians he alleges are sponsoring kidnapping gangs responsible for the abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State.
In a post on X on Thursday, Ibe argued that the Department of State Services and other law enforcement agencies should make use of any credible intelligence capable of accelerating efforts to rescue the victims and dismantle the criminal networks behind the attacks.
His comments followed remarks made by Igboho during a meeting with members of the National Association of Nigerian Students, where the activist claimed to know politicians allegedly providing support to kidnappers operating across parts of south-west Nigeria.
Addressing the students, Igboho insisted that the armed groups were not beyond the reach of security forces and could be driven out with decisive action.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The allegations come amid heightened concern over the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, an incident that has fuelled fears about the spread of kidnapping and organised criminality into communities previously regarded as relatively secure.
Responding to the claims, Ibe said security agencies had a responsibility to investigate any information that could assist ongoing efforts to secure the release of those held captive.
“Since Sunday Igboho 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 need to invite him to release those names to them,” he wrote.
“Every option should be on the table to fast-track the safe release of the school children and teachers.”
Ibe also used the opportunity to criticise what he described as an uneven federal response to insecurity, drawing attention to the reported abduction of more than 50 schoolchildren in Mussa, Borno State, on 15 May.
Questioning the government’s handling of the incident, he asked: “By the way, who knows those behind the abduction of over 50 school children in Mussa, Borno State, on May 15, 2026?
“Why is 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 as he 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?”
The exchange has renewed national attention on school safety and the persistent threat posed by kidnapping gangs, which have targeted educational institutions across Nigeria over the past decade.
Mass abductions, particularly in northern states, have repeatedly exposed weaknesses in intelligence gathering and rural security, prompting calls for stronger community policing, improved surveillance and greater protection for vulnerable communities.
Security agencies have yet to publicly respond either to Igboho’s allegations or to Ibe’s demand for an investigation. However, the claims are likely to intensify pressure on authorities to examine allegations of political sponsorship of criminal groups while pursuing the safe release of those still being held captive.
