Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies laments kidnapping of top women officials
Calls for Immediate Government Action
Former Presidential Candidate and a National Christian leader, Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, has expressed deep outrage, sorrow, and grave concern over the shocking abduction of six senior female Directors of the Ministry of Defence along the Kabba–Lokoja highway—one of Nigeria’s most notorious kidnapping corridors.
This tragic incident, she said, represents an urgent test of governance and raises troubling questions about the state of national security and the credibility of government institutions entrusted with the safety of citizens.
According to reports, the abducted officials—all women, all Christians, all from the South, and mostly from the Southeast—were traveling for a mandatory promotion exercise when kidnappers ambushed and whisked them away. The fact that these are senior officers of the Ministry of Defence, the very institution charged with intelligence gathering, national protection, and defence coordination, makes the situation all the more alarming.
Professor Adesanya-Davies lamented:
“How does a Ministry responsible for protecting over 200 million citizens fail to secure its own top officials? And why were these senior female directors allowed to travel through a route notorious for deadly kidnappings—especially in 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 further noted that the circumstances of the incident have led to widespread public suspicion and deepening fears of targeted victimization within the civil service.
“There is a growing belief,” she said, “that these women may have been deliberately exposed to danger to weaken Christian and Southern representation within the Ministry of Defence, creating space for ethnic or ideological replacements. This possibility is too dangerous to ignore, and the Presidency must address it transparently.”
Professor Adesanya-Davies stressed that the kidnapping strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s national confidence:
“If the Defence Ministry cannot protect its own Directors, who then protects the ordinary citizen? What remains of our government’s credibility when those tasked with national defence fall victim to the very insecurity they are supposed to combat?”
She called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the Service Chiefs, and all relevant security agencies to take full responsibility, act swiftly, and ensure the safe release of the abducted officials without delay.
Furthermore, she urged the Federal Government to:
- Conduct a transparent investigation into why these women were sent through a dangerous route.
- Strengthen intelligence coordination and security presence across high-risk corridors.
- Address internal bias and structural discrimination within federal institutions.
- Protect Christian, Southern, and minority officers who increasingly feel unsafe within national agencies.
- Rebuild public trust through decisive and responsible action.
She added that the Coalition of Christian and Civil Voices in Nigeria, along with civil society groups across the nation, is closely watching government response to this case, noting that national legitimacy hinges on the state’s capacity to protect lives without discrimination.
“This tragedy must not be allowed to disappear into silence,” she said. “The lives of these women matter. Their families are in pain. The nation is watching. We demand justice, protection, and accountability.”
