Presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, APM, Seyi Makinde, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently rescue prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State on Independence Day.

Makinde said the corps members had remained in captivity four days after their abduction, insisting that every hour spent in captivity was unacceptable.

He also called for the unconditional release and safe return of other Nigerians abducted in Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno and other parts of the country.

In a statement by the Director of Strategic Communications of the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, Richard Ihediwa, Makinde said, “One hour in captivity is one hour too long, and one victim in captivity is one victim too many.”

He said the Federal Government had a constitutional responsibility to protect Nigerians, citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which identifies the security and welfare of citizens as the primary purpose of government.

He added that the government had a particular responsibility for the safety of youths once they were called up for the NYSC programme.

Makinde criticised the Tinubu administration's handling of insecurity, arguing that the crisis could no longer be addressed with rhetoric or “kid gloves.”

He alleged that terrorist elements had killed more than 600,000 Nigerians in the past three and a half years, while many others remained in captivity.

He described the situation as unacceptable and said Nigerians were determined to vote out the APC-led administration in 2027 over what he called its failure in office.

However, he stressed that the political contest should not distract the government from its immediate responsibility to protect citizens.

Makinde therefore urged President Tinubu to act decisively against insecurity and secure the release of the abducted corps members and other Nigerians being held by their abductors.