News of kidnappings of innocent students’ greeted parents, friends and families as well as residents of Niger state recently. While many indigenes from Kagara are still in shock over this tragic incidence, there have been the allegations that the federal government seems to be doing little or nothing about the situation on ground.
The above fears and allegations from neutral observers and concerned individuals was clearly confirmed by the recent lamentations of the Niger state Government who decried that there has been no help from federal government to schoolboys who were recently kidnapped in Kagara, Niger state.
Announcing the ugly event to the general public, the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello on Thursday said the federal government has refused to support his state in the rescue of 41 students abducted from Government Science College, Kagara.
News sources claimed that the state governor made this disclosure while receiving the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu in the state’s Government House.
According to Bello: “At the moment, we do not feel any Federal presence here”.
“The Inspector-General of Police sent us four mobile units but we are to shoulder the financial responsibilities. So, where is the support? There is no support from anyone.
“Yes, we had a delegation (Federal Government delegation) that came to visit and commiserate with us but that was all.
“So, we are left to ourselves.
“We have already made a commitment that we will bring back the children safely with or without anyone.”
Recall that hoodlums had earlier abducted 27 students and 14 others from the Kagara area of the state and this had created quite a lot of security scare and uncertainties within the region.
From the inception of Boko-haram and the abduction of students girls from Chibok which drew quite a reaction mixed with anger and emotions and even worldwide recognition, lots of historical records would reveal that numerous security experts, officials and even crisis management analysts, have had the opportunity to come on various TV programs to educate on, and sometimes expose the insincerity of the FG in dealing with these issues and challenges bothering on corruption and insecurity all over the federation, especially in the Northern region of the federation.
Quite a handful of prominent personalities and even stakeholders in the political sphere of the nation have come out to state that all these negativity and controversial kidnappings and abductions are selfishly and politically motivated by evil godfathers and unscrupulous politicians. They also advised that Nigerian citizens should pay more attention and look deeper because there is more to all the reports that are being fed to the general public.
Meanwhile many are hoping that the federal government would wade into the current situation at Kagara in order to prove the Niger State government wrong with his recent comments and thus try to keep to their promises and responsibilities about protection of lives and properties: to ensure help and rescue comes to the abducted students, and thus bring back hope and assurance to families of victims and indigenes.
Gift Joseph Okpakorese
Staff Writer
