Oyo Abduction: Should We Begin Bombing Their Location? – Presidency Reacts To Hostage Killing

The Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, has questioned whether the Federal Government is expected to bomb locations suspected of holding kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Naija News reports that Bwala posed the question during an interview on Morayo Show on Wednesday.

Reacting to concerns about the safety of the victims, the presidential aide argued that lethal force carried the risk of endangering the captives further, adding that rescuing hostages alive remained the government’s primary objective in such situations.

“If you use lethal force, you may end up jeopardising the life of the people that are kidnapped.

“When you have a case of what we call hostage-taking, the number one responsibility of government is to rescue them, and rescue them alive.

“But if we hear that one person has been killed, then we’ll have to use the other measures available,” he said.

Asked whether the victims had been forgotten, given the length of their captivity, Bwala said the government was aware of their condition and was prioritising a safe rescue over public pressure.

“We know they are alive and they are well. To bring them back, to get them out alive, is much more important than whatever anybody is saying in the news,” he said.

Pressed on the fact that a hostage had already been killed, Bwala turned the question back on the show, asking whether the government should resort to bombing suspected locations where the captives were being held.

“Should the government now forcefully begin bombing where we believe they are being held, because one person was beheaded and there is a possibility that the rest will be killed? Or tell me what you think we should do,” he said.