•As Senate tells FG to declare state of emergency on insecurity
Sequel to the abduction of students and staff of Government Science College, Kagara, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has directed the armed forces and police, to carry out immediate rescue and safe return of all the captives.
The President also dispatched a team of security chiefs to coordinate the rescue operation, and meet with state officials, community leaders, as well as parents and staff of the school.
This was just as he condemned the act of the gunmen, describing it as a “brazen attack,” in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
“President Buhari has assured of the support of his administration to the Armed Forces, in their brave struggle against terrorism and banditry, and urged them to do all that can be done to bring an end to this saga, and avoid such cowardly attacks on schools in the future,” Shehu stated.
He added: “Our prayers are with families of the victims of this attack,” saying that the act on innocent school children was cowardly.
Meanwhile, the Senate has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country.
The Upper Chamber also joined in condemning the Wednesday abduction of Kagara students by bandits.
In a statement by the Special Assistant (Press)
to President of the Senate, Ezrel Tabiowo, same day, it was said that was need for urgent action, as the number of the kidnapped persons had yet to be ascertained, though the students of the school were more than 1,000.
Moving a motion on the abduction, the sponsor, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, of All Progressives Congress (APC), Niger East, under Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules, “notes with sadness, and great concern, the recent terrorist attack and abduction of students at Government Science School, Kagara, Niger State by gunmen in the early hours of today (Wednesday).
“Further notes that the bandits were dressed in military uniforms when they attacked the boarding school, overpowered the security guards, before whisking away the students, and killing some, which numbers are to yet to be confirmed;
“Aware that the exact number of students kidnapped are not yet known, as headcount was being conducted in the school as we speak to ascertain the actual number of missing students; but the school has a population of over 1000 students
“Further aware that the security agencies were able to detect the coordinates of the area the students were taken to, and have started tracing the bandits’ movement while security aircraft have been seen hovering in the air to track the location of the students;
“Aware that section 14 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended stipulates that the welfare and security of citizens shall be the primary responsibility of government; thus government at all levels owe the people the duty to provide adequate security;
“Aware that the recent attack and abduction of school children at Government Science School, Kagara, Niger State is coming on the heels of yet to be resolved Kankara abduction of 300 students which took place at Government Science School, Kankara, Katsina State, Chibok Girls in 2014, and abduction of about 100 school girls at Government Girls Science and Technical School, Dapchi, Yobe State in 2018; and
“Concerned that like the other incidents of school children abduction that took place in Chibok and Dapchi, several years back, if no immediate action is taken to rescue Kagara School Students, their fate may be sealed in the hands of terrorists; and
“Further worried that Niger, Katsina and many other states in North-west And North-central Nigeria are now bedeviled by Bandits attacks. The bandits Kill and kidnap at will despite the large deployment of police officers and soldiers to the affected states;
“Notes also on Sunday, 14th February 2021, many commuters and passengers numbering 57 were abducted in Kundu, all within the same area and yet to be released.”
According to Tabiowo, “the Senate, in its resolutions, while condemning the attack on the Government Science School, Kagara, urged President Buhari to immediately declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country.
“The Upper Chamber also urged the President to consider and implement the recommendations of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Nigeria’s Security Challenges dated March, 17, 2020, and Senate Resolutions therefrom, as a holistic response to the mounting security challenges across the country.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks, stressed the need for the military and security agencies to work in collaboration with the various state governments, so that schools situated in the northern part of Nigeria, where abduction remains predominant, would be well secured.
In Lawan’s words, he said: “I believe that there is need for something new; a different initiative on how to protect our schools.
“…Almost all incidents of abducting students from schools happen in northern Nigeria, and we all know how much efforts our leaders of yesterday, probably right from independence, worked so hard to ensure that children go to school in northern part of Nigeria.
“With incidents like this, we will be reversing all the gains that were made in convincing parents and wards to take their children to school.
“So, there’s need for our security agencies and government to ensure that we come up with a strategy of ensuring security in schools, because with this spate of kidnapping or abductions, definitely, there will be that negative adverse effect on the desire and willingness of parents to allow their children to go to schools.
“And, the consequences of not going to school are better imagined in 21st century Nigeria or 21st century world.
“So, the Service Chiefs-designate have their work and take clearly cut for them. Part of what they are supposed to carry on board is how to secure our schools, in addition to so many other challenges that they have to deal with.
“I believe that the states have to be carried along, because the schools belong to the states. So, that partnership and cooperation between the security agencies and the states must be adhered to, so that the states cooperate fully with security agencies of government.
“With that, the whole country will be praying and waiting for our abducted children to be returned back to their parents secured and well”, Lawan said.
