By Chuks Okocha
Former vice president and the presidential candidate of the PDP in the last general election, Atiku Abubakar, and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, have reacted to the release of kidnapped schoolboys in Kankara in Katsina state.
Atiku in his reaction in a statement by his media office office said, “I am happy about reports that abducted schoolboys of GSSS Kankara, Katsina State have been rescued. As a father, I know how much joy it will bring to the traumatised parents who have practically kept vigil in the school premises.
“I congratulate all those who were involved in the rescue operation. Security must be stepped up around schools in the vulnerable areas in the insurgency prone region.”
Also, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said that he was relieved at the news of the release of the 344 schoolboys kidnapped last week Friday at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State.
In a statement by his media aide, Awoniyi, Senator Lawan said the news that all the kidnapped boys regained their freedom unharmed would delight their parents and all people of goodwill in Nigeria and across the world who have been horrified by the ordeal of the innocent children.
The Senate President in particular rejoiced with the parents who had been under tremendous emotional stress as they prayed for the safe return of their children.
“The past few days have been harrowing for the parents of the students, their teachers and all of us as a nation.
“The nightmare sadly reminds us of our country’s continued vulnerability to heartless crimes such as the kidnap of hundreds of schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014 and the Dapchi incident of 2018. The blemish of those earlier incidents is still on us as a country and we had hoped that the outrage that they sparked would mean such never happened again in Nigeria.
“This sad recurrence is, therefore, enough warning to us as a nation to deploy all the resources required for the security of our educational institutions, and indeed of everywhere else where our children gather, to protect them against cowardly attacks by primitive terrorists.
“I commend the prompt intervention and productive engagement of President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina state and others which resulted in the release of the children,” Lawan said.
The Senate President also praised the security forces and the intelligence community for their coordinated efforts that brought this saga to early closure and urged them to continue in the same spirit and with the same approach in addressing other security issues across Nigeria.
