According to a report by PUNCH on July 31, 2026, NDC presidential aspirant Peter Obi criticised what he described as the secrecy surrounding security operations in Nigeria, saying authorities should publicly present arrested criminal suspects or the outcomes of successful operations to reassure citizens.
Speaking during State of the Nation with Peter Obi on Afia TV’s Eastern Eye, hosted by Alex Ogbodo, Obi said countries such as the United States openly display the results of major security operations, unlike Nigeria.
“When America or other countries kill criminals, they parade them. They show it. Everybody sees it. In Nigeria, everything is secret,” he said.
Obi also said that if he had been president, he would have personally gone into the forest where pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire, Oyo State, were held, insisting everyone in the camp would have been brought out, even if the operation resulted in casualties.
He further criticised President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the incident, alleging the president did not contact Governor Seyi Makinde during the 50 days the victims remained in captivity, which Obi said reflected a lack of urgency.
The Oriire abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when dozens of pupils and teachers were kidnapped. The victims spent about 56 days in captivity before being rescued by security forces in July.
