Obi condemns abduction of UTME candidates in Benue, faults leadership

Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the abduction of candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Benue State, describing the incident as a reflection of leadership failure and worsening insecurity in the country.

In a statement shared on Friday via X, Obi said the incident was “not just heartbreaking but a damning indictment of the failure of leadership and the collapse of security in our nation.”

He lamented that young Nigerians pursuing education are increasingly exposed to violence.

“Young Nigerians striving for an education are being met with terror,” he said, warning that the country cannot afford further losses in its already limited pool of graduates.

“In a country where the share of tertiary graduates is already painfully low, about 1 per cent, which is far below peers like Indonesia, about 13 per cent, and South Africa, around 10 per cent, this is unacceptable. We cannot afford to lose even one more student to violence,” Obi stated.

The former Anambra State governor also accused authorities of prioritising political interests over security.

“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,” he said.

Obi described the incident as part of a broader pattern of insecurity across the country.

“This is no longer an isolated tragedy. It is a pattern. It is a national crisis,” he said.

He called for urgent and decisive action from government authorities to address the situation.

“It demands urgent, decisive, and responsible action, not excuses, not silence, but leadership that matches the scale of the emergency this deserves,” Obi added.

He further stressed the long-term implications of insecurity on the country’s future, warning that failure to protect young people could have lasting consequences.

“A nation that abandons its youth abandons its future. This cannot continue,” he said.