THIS DAWN — Former presidential candidate and respected national Christian leader, Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, has lambasted Nigeria’s security system over the kidnapping of six senior female Directors of the Ministry of Defence.
Prof. Adesanya-Davies described the incident as “a tragic indictment of Nigeria’s security system” and a direct challenge to the government’s credibility.
The officials—all women, all Christians, all from the South, and mostly from the Southeast—were abducted along the Kabba–Lokoja highway while travelling for a mandatory promotion exercise.
The highway is widely regarded as one of the deadliest kidnapping corridors in the country.
Their abduction, Adesanya-Davies said, exposes profound vulnerabilities within Nigeria’s defence and intelligence structure.
“How does a Ministry responsible for protecting over 200 million citizens fail to secure its own top officials?
“Why were these senior female directors instructed to travel through a route notorious for deadly kidnappings—particularly during a period of heightened insecurity?
“This is not just a lapse in judgment. It is a frightening reflection of the fragility of our security architecture,” she said.
Deliberate exposure?
The circumstances surrounding the attack, Adesanya-Davies noted, have sparked widespread public suspicion, with many Nigerians expressing fears of targeted victimization within the civil service.
According to her, the perception is that the women may have been deliberately exposed to danger to weaken Christian and Southern representation in the Ministry of Defence.
This, she said, “is too serious and too dangerous for the government to ignore.”
Professor Adesanya-Davies warned that the abduction strikes at the core of Nigeria’s national confidence.
She stressed that the kidnapping of senior Defence Ministry officials raises alarming questions about who protects ordinary citizens.
“If the Defence Ministry cannot protect its own Directors, what remains of our government’s credibility?
“How can Nigerians trust a system that allows those responsible for national defence to fall victim to the very crisis they are meant to solve?” she asked.
She, therefore, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, and the Service Chiefs to act with urgency and transparency to secure the immediate release of the kidnapped officers.
In her demands to the Federal Government, she urged:
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A transparent investigation into why the officials were routed through a high-risk corridor.
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Stronger intelligence coordination and improved security along dangerous highways.
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An end to internal discrimination and structural bias within federal institutions.
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Greater protection for Christian, Southern, and minority officers who feel increasingly unsafe.
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Fast, decisive action to restore public confidence in national security institutions.
Adesanya-Davies emphasized that the Coalition of Christian and Civil Voices in Nigeria, alongside civil society groups nationwide, is closely monitoring the government’s handling of the case.
“This tragedy must not be swept under the carpet. These women’s lives matter. Their families are in anguish.
“The nation is watching. We demand justice, protection, and accountability,” she said.
