“The first duty of government is the protection of the people; where that duty is neglected, all other claims to legitimacy become questionable.” — John Locke
The recent controversy surrounding the abduction of schoolchildren in Ogbomoso and the kidnapping involving relatives of a prominent political figure, Adebayo Adelabu, has sparked more than a security debate. It has reopened important questions about governance, fairness, and public confidence in the Nigerian state.
Government officials have argued that comparing the two incidents is misleading. According to the Presidency, the Ogbomoso case involved a large number of schoolchildren and presented a far more complicated security challenge than the kidnapping linked to Adelabu’s family. From a security and operational standpoint, this position is understandable. A mass abduction requires different tactics, resources, and intelligence efforts than a smaller kidnapping incident.
However, politics is not judged solely by official explanations. It is often judged by how citizens perceive government actions.
For many Nigerians, the issue is not whether the two incidents are identical. Rather, it is whether government appears to respond with the same urgency and determination when ordinary citizens are victims as it does when those affected have political influence or connections.
Whether this perception is accurate or not, it remains central to the ongoing debate.
In any democracy, public trust depends not only on what leaders do but also on what citizens believe they are doing. Once people begin to feel that some lives receive more attention than others, confidence in public institutions starts to weaken.
The reality is that both the Presidency and its critics raise important points.
The Presidency is right to note that the two cases differ significantly in terms of scale and operational complexity. A mass school abduction cannot be handled in the same manner as an isolated kidnapping.
At the same time, critics are justified in insisting that every Nigerian deserves equal concern from the state. Regardless of social status, political influence, ethnicity, religion, or economic standing, every citizen has an equal right to protection and security.
Yet concentrating solely on this comparison risks overlooking a much deeper national problem.
The real scandal is not whether Ogbomoso should be compared to Adelabu. The real scandal is that kidnapping has become so widespread in Nigeria that such comparisons have become part of everyday political discussion.
Across the country, communities continue to live under the constant threat of abduction, banditry, and violent crime. Parents worry about sending their children to school. Farmers abandon their farmlands out of fear. Travellers move with anxiety along major highways. Businesses increasingly factor insecurity into the cost of operating.
These are symptoms of a broader crisis that goes beyond politics and political affiliations.
Nigeria’s security challenges cannot be solved through media exchanges between government officials and opposition figures. What is required is a comprehensive and sustained strategy built around intelligence gathering, effective policing, community partnerships, modern surveillance technology, and the swift prosecution of criminal networks.
Government communication is equally important. Citizens are more likely to trust security institutions when they receive timely, transparent, and credible information during moments of crisis.
The lesson from both the Ogbomoso and Adelabu incidents is straightforward: insecurity does not discriminate. It does not recognize political affiliation, social status, religion, or ethnicity. Today’s victim may be a schoolchild; tomorrow’s may be the relative of a senior political figure.
Rather than debating which kidnapping deserves greater public attention, Nigeria’s political leaders should focus on a more urgent question: Why do kidnappings continue to occur at such alarming levels despite repeated assurances that security is improving?
That is the question ordinary Nigerians want answered.
Ultimately, this debate is not really about Ogbomoso or Adelabu. It is about whether Nigerians can trust the state to protect all citizens equally. Until that question is answered convincingly, every kidnapping will be viewed not only as a criminal act but also as a measure of government performance.
In politics, perception can be as powerful as reality.
The true test of governance is not how effectively the state responds when influential people are affected. It is whether ordinary citizens feel equally protected under the authority of the law.
History repeatedly demonstrates that a government’s legitimacy rests not on the promises it makes, but on the security, justice, and protection its citizens experience in their daily lives.
Until Nigerians can genuinely feel that every life matters equally, the debate over security and governance will continue.
Cliff Stanley
Political Scientist/Analyst
cliffstanley3@gmail.com
07032826319
