Nigeria’s Ambassador Designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, publicly criticised Afrobeats star David Adeleke, known as Davido, on Thursday over the singer’s recent public campaign for abducted schoolchildren.
The singer first wore a customised jacket and shirt at a FIFA World Cup countdown concert on Wednesday. The outfit featured the names of pupils and teachers abducted from Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Victims still in captivity appeared in white lettering, while names of those confirmed dead appeared in red. The jacket also carried the message “BRING THEM HOME” across the back.
Shortly before his performance, Davido expressed concern over the continued captivity and called for urgent government intervention. “Peace and love everywhere,” he said. “May God be with the families of the abducted and the ones who have been killed. They still haven’t been rescued; we’re praying to God every day.”
The ambassador-designate then responded in a detailed statement on X on Thursday. He warned that high-profile campaigns could strengthen terrorist groups instead of pressuring them to release victims. “Publicity helps terrorists,” Omokri wrote. “It does not pressure them. They treasure it!”
He insisted that a common misunderstanding exists about how armed groups respond to global outrage. “It is a very big mistake to think that publicity, or global outrage, pressures terrorists,” he added. “Quite the contrary. They relish it! They thrive on it.”
Omokri also cited former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, stating, “Publicity is the oxygen of terrorism.” He argued that visibility amplifies fear and increases terrorist influence. “If you do not know about their terrifying acts,” he said, “they can’t have the power of terror over you”
The former presidential aide drew on his own previous advocacy for Boko Haram hostages, including Leah Sharibu and the Chibok girls. He claimed that security officials later told him those high profile campaigns made the captives “too valuable” to their abductors and prompted tighter security around them.
“I was informed by top‑level security officials that my activities were actually making Leah Sharibu’s release less likely,” Omokri said. “By raising her profile, I was making her too valuable as a hostage to her captors.” He similarly argued that the international spotlight on the #BringBackOurGirls movement may have complicated rescue operations.
Despite his criticism, Omokri maintained that Nigeria’s security agencies continue to work on the case. “This is not to say the Nigerian government is resting on its oars in the present case,” he said. “Every effort is being made to secure the release of the children and their teachers.” He noted that similar abductions in the past have ended in successful rescues.
