President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security and intelligence agencies to hasten their moves to rescue the 200 children kidnapped from an Islamic school in Niger State.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made this known on Monday in a statement titled, ‘Expedite action towards release of school children, President Buhari urges law enforcement officials.’
He said President Buhari received a briefing on the latest incident of school kidnapping and condemned it.
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“President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the nation’s security and intelligence agencies to expedite efforts towards the recovery of the 200 children kidnapped from an Islamic school in Niger State,” the statement read in part.
He added that President Buhari urged all the agencies involved in the rescue operation to do their utmost in securing their immediate release.
The President also directed the concerned government agencies to extend possible support to the families of the kidnapped children.
Over 200 students were abducted by bandits in Tegina, Rafi Local Government on Sunday.
The Islamiyya school has three components comprising of Nursery, primary, and junior secondary school.
Meanwhile, Niger State Government has assured that they are taking measures to ensure the release of the school children.
The state deputy governor, Ahmed Ketso while addressing journalists at the Government House said efforts are being put in place to identify the bandits.
Ketso said that though the numbers of the kidnapped school children is not fully ascertained, efforts by security agencies to secure their release have been intensified.
He said there are many government schools in Tegina but the government was proactive to have deboarded the boarding schools and made sure every primary and Secondary school has the presence of security agents.
He assured that strategies are in place to secure the release of the abductees the same way those of Kagara boys were released ruling out the option of paying a ransom.
“We don’t pay ransom to abductors. We are trying to negotiate to see how we can bring them back safely,” he said.
He said that the government has made contact with some of the identified parents of the kidnapped children, assuring them of their safe return.
