Gift Joseph Okpakorese
The recent waves of abduction within the country, especially that of students, are becoming so alarming that it has called for series of concerns and criticism both locally and internationally.
In the wake of every barbaric kidnapping purportedly carried out by these insurgents, which is reported daily by media sources, the presidency and authorities concerned simply issues a press release and statements condemning these acts as well as messages of condolences to families of victims involved.
“Enough is enough of these public show of affections and words of condolences and condemnation for it’s not adequate” claims Femi Falana. More so, he strongly demands that the federal government should swing into action and live up to its responsibility and ensure that all recently abducted students, as well as all other cases of abduction in the nation, are released from the hands of kidnappers.
The Alliance for Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), a union of labor and civil society organizations, has implored the present administration and all authorities concerned to instigate all forms of actions that will enable the quick release of abducted students rather than engage in a political show of affection as many Nigerians have come to believe especially as nothing seems to have changed since the emergence of insurgency.
It was earlier reported that armed men stormed the Greenfield University in Kaduna state on Tuesday 19th April 2021, and kidnaped some students. It was later revealed that three abducted students were later found dead on Friday in Kwanan Bature village, a location close to the university.
Reacting to the sad event, response to the crisis, as characteristic of the Presidency, Muhammadu Buhari, condemned the “barbaric” murders and condoled with families of victims who lost their lives in the process of this gruesome act.
However, the provisional chairman of ASCAB, Femi Falana, on Sunday 24th April 2021 disclosed that lawful denunciation is not adequate to handle the persistent challenges and safety catastrophe in the federation.
Falana was livid about the current situation while insisting that something urgent needed to be done to guarantee the liberation of students abducted from Greenfield University, Government Girls’ Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state. Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, and other unknown and unreported kidnappings within the federation.
“Our hearts go to the parents and family members of the students who have been brutally murdered by one of the several gangs of bandits operating without any serious challenge in many states in the North West Zone,” he said.
“As usual, both the federal government and the Kaduna state government have perfunctorily condemned the reckless killing of the students. The official condemnation is not enough.
“The governments must take urgent steps to rescue the remaining students of the Greenfield University and other abducted students who are currently languishing in the illegal custody of bandits and terrorists, including the Chibok and Dapchi girls.”
Recall that In July 2020, ASCAB indicted the federal government of displaying slow enthusiasm and lacking in capacity to deal with the recurring pandemonium and incessant violence ravaging the northern region of the country. The group also drew attention to the sting operation which resulted in the recovery of an American citizen kidnapped in Niger Republic and argued that the operation was triumphant owing to the usage of technological drones by the American government. They, therefore, added that such types of equipment be deployed in finding the abducted students and extricating them from the hands of these terrorists.
“Instead of only engaging in the occasional expression of sympathy with families of abducted victims who are often killed by bandits and terrorists, the federal government and the various state governments should acquire vital security gadgets to track criminal gangs that are terrorizing unarmed citizens,” it said.
“Since the federal and Kaduna state governments should bear full responsibility for the barbaric murder of the unarmed undergraduates and other citizens by criminal elements official wailing is no longer acceptable.”
