By Okechukwu Nwanguma
The reported rescue of the sister of Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and her twin children is welcome news. Every successful rescue operation deserves commendation, and every life saved is valuable.
However, the speed and apparent efficiency with which this operation was carried out have inevitably raised difficult questions in the minds of many Nigerians.
Why are some kidnapping victims rescued within days while others remain in captivity for weeks, months, or indefinitely? Why do countless schoolchildren, teachers, farmers, traders, commuters, and ordinary citizens disappear into the hands of criminals without receiving the same level of urgency and attention?
These are not questions borne out of cynicism. They are questions rooted in legitimate concerns about equality, justice, and the state’s responsibilities.
The Nigerian Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. Security agencies are obligated to protect all citizens without discrimination based on social status, political influence, wealth, ethnicity, religion, or personal connections. Yet public perception increasingly suggests that some victims attract extraordinary efforts while others become mere statistics.
This perception is dangerous because public confidence in security institutions depends not only on their effectiveness but also on their fairness.
Many Nigerians still remember the mass abductions of schoolchildren and students across different parts of the country. Families have endured prolonged agony while waiting for news of their loved ones. In numerous cases, rescue efforts appeared slow, uncertain, or dependent on negotiations and ransom payments. Some victims have remained in captivity long after public attention faded.
When a high-profile victim is rescued quickly while others remain forgotten, citizens naturally ask whether influence and connections play a role in determining the intensity of official response.
These questions deserve honest answers.
Equally troubling are persistent concerns about the state’s capacity and willingness to consistently deploy technology and intelligence resources.
Security agencies have demonstrated a remarkable ability to track activists, journalists, critics, and social media users accused of offending powerful interests. Yet armed groups and kidnappers often circulate videos, make ransom demands, move across territories, and maintain communication networks without being similarly tracked and dismantled.
Citizens are entitled to ask why technologies used to monitor dissent cannot be deployed with equal vigour against violent criminals. They are entitled to ask why kidnappers continue to operate with apparent confidence despite the vast security architecture funded by taxpayers.
The issue is not whether influential persons deserve protection. They do. The issue is whether ordinary Nigerians deserve any less.
A society governed by the rule of law cannot operate on the principle that some lives matter more than others. Security cannot be a privilege reserved for the politically connected or socially prominent. The true measure of a nation’s commitment to justice is not how it protects the powerful but how it protects the vulnerable and the ordinary citizen.
Government officials and security agencies should view these public questions not as attacks but as expressions of legitimate concern. Nigerians are asking for a system where every victim receives the same urgency, professionalism, and commitment regardless of status.
The success of a rescue operation should not be judged solely by the identity of those rescued. Rather, it should be assessed by whether the same capability, determination, and resources are consistently deployed on behalf of all citizens.
Until every Nigerian can expect equal protection and equal concern from the state, questions about selective efficiency and unequal treatment will continue to arise.
And rightly so.
Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma is the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC)
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