Akpabio's Stern Rebuke: Senate Rejects 'Bow and Go' for New Defence Minister Amid Nigeria's Kidnapping Crisis

Akpabio's Stern Rebuke: Senate Rejects 'Bow and Go' for New Defence Minister Amid Nigeria's Kidnapping Crisis In a rare disp...

Akpabio's Stern Rebuke: Senate Rejects 'Bow and Go' for New Defence Minister Amid Nigeria's Kidnapping Crisis

In a rare display of parliamentary resolve, Senate President Godswill  Akpabio on Wednesday forcefully rejected calls for a fast-tracked "bow and go" approval of Lt. Gen. Christopher Musa, President Bola Tinubu's nominee for Minister of Defence, insisting on rigorous scrutiny amid Nigeria's spiraling insecurity. Addressing the Senate chamber during the screening session, Akpabio emphasized that the nominee Nigeria's former Chief of Defence Staff must address burning public concerns, from the safety of schoolchildren to unresolved military lapses, before any confirmation. "We are not here on our own. We are here representing our constituents," Akpabio declared, his voice steady and uncharacteristically grave, as captured in live broadcasts from the National Assembly. The session, which lasted over three hours, ultimately saw Musa's confirmation, but not without Akpabio's pointed reminder that "this is not a period we should say bow and go."

Akpabio's intervention came against the backdrop of fresh horrors in Nigeria's northwest, where armed groups have escalated school abductions, displacing families and eroding trust in security forces. He directly referenced the November 21 kidnapping of over 300 pupils and 12 staff from St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State near Kaduna where gunmen stormed the premises in the early hours, leaving about 250 children still missing as of Wednesday. 

In a chilling detail, Akpabio recounted how soldiers, who had conducted a security drill at the school just hours earlier, received orders to withdraw a mere 30 minutes before the attackers arrived. "Children were packed away on the government bus," he said, amplifying the outcry from Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, who has demanded accountability for the apparent intelligence failure. The Senate, Akpabio noted, has launched a probe into the withdrawal order, underscoring systemic vulnerabilities that have fueled at least 10 major school kidnappings since January 2024, affecting over 670 children nationwide. 

He urged Musa to offer reassurance without compromising operational secrets: "Whether his appointment will enable [constituents] to sleep well, whether their children will be safe in schools... Give the man an opportunity to give Nigerians hope."

The Senate leader wove in broader geopolitical pressures, invoking U.S. President Donald Trump's recent criticisms of African instability as a catalyst for heightened scrutiny. "Even Donald Trump is on our neck," Akpabio stated, alluding to Trump's December 2 remarks during a White House Cabinet meeting, where he lambasted Somali immigrants and implied broader U.S. impatience with migration drivers like insecurity in the Horn of Africa and Sahel regions mirroring Nigeria's challenges. 

This international spotlight,  

Akpabio argued, demands substantive answers from Musa, not procedural shortcuts. He also spotlighted the November 17 ambush in Borno State, where Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants captured and executed Brig. Gen. Musa Uba—commander of the 25th Task Force Brigade after he reportedly disclosed his location via phone during a retreat from the attack site near Wajiroko village. 

 The Nigerian Army initially denied Uba's capture as "fake news," but President Tinubu later confirmed his death, marking a devastating loss in the 16-year insurgency that has claimed thousands. 

 "Who gave those coordinates for the kidnappers or the terrorists to go and pick him?" Akpabio pressed, framing the questions as a public mandate: "When you take a bow and go, where is Brigadier General [Uba]? Where are the children? How are we going to get the children back?"

Musa, applauded for his track record combating Boko Haram and ISWAP, fielded queries on strategy and reform without revealing classified details, as Akpabio stipulated. The Senate's confirmation of the nominee—replacing Mohammed Badaru, who resigned Monday for health reasons signals Tinubu's push for military expertise at the helm of defence amid banditry, jihadist threats, and economic strain. 

Lawmakers from opposition parties praised Akpabio's firmness, with one PDP senator tweeting, "Finally, some spine in the Red Chamber Trump's shadow lit a fire." Rights groups like Human Rights Watch welcomed the probe pledges but cautioned that confirmations alone won't stem the tide of abductions, urging swift rescues and school fortifications. 

As Musa assumes office, Nigerians await not just hope, but action—lest the Senate's rhetoric echo hollow in the face of unrelenting terror.

Family Writers Press International