Peter Obi has condemned the abduction of candidates sitting for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams in Benue State, describing the incident as a reflection of deeper security failures.
In a post shared on X, the former presidential candidate warned that neglecting young people comes at a steep national cost, insisting that the trend of insecurity must be urgently addressed.
He described the kidnapping of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates as both tragic and symbolic of leadership breakdown, noting that students pursuing education are increasingly exposed to danger.
Obi also highlighted Nigeria’s low tertiary education rate—around 1%—compared with countries like Indonesia and South Africa, stressing that losing students to violence further weakens national development.
He wrote:
“We cannot afford to lose even one more student to violence. A nation that abandons its youth abandons its future.
“Those entrusted with protecting these young students appear increasingly preoccupied with the next election, projecting strength and power to rig elections, rather than deploying that same power and agencies to secure our roads, prevent these crimes, and rescue the abducted children who should not be in the hands of criminals but in examination halls.
“This is no longer an isolated tragedy. It is a pattern. It is a national crisis. And it demands urgent, decisive, and responsible action, not excuses, not silence, but leadership that matches the scale of the emergency this deserves,” he wrote.
Reports indicate that at least 14 candidates were kidnapped by gunmen in the state.