By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operation
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged President Bola Tinubu to intensify efforts to secure the release of all Nigerians still being held by kidnappers across the country, saying the successful rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State should signal the beginning of a sustained nationwide offensive against criminal gangs.
The northern socio-political organisation made the call while reacting to the rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren and teachers after more than 50 days in captivity, stressing that thousands of families in states such as Borno, Kaduna, Kwara and Zamfara were still awaiting the safe return of their loved ones.
Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, described the rescue operation as a welcome development and congratulated the freed pupils, their parents, guardians and host communities.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum heartily welcomes the successful rescue of the Oyo State schoolchildren and their teachers. We rejoice with the pupils, their parents and guardians, as well as their communities,” he said.
While commending the security agencies for the successful operation, the ACF challenged the Federal Government to demonstrate the same commitment in rescuing all other abductees across the country.
“We fervently appeal to the President Bola Tinubu administration, the security forces and all concerned authorities to ensure the release of all persons still in captivity across states, including Borno, Kaduna, Kwara, Zamfara and every other state where innocent citizens are being subjected to torture arising from their illegal abduction.
“No citizen ought to be subjected to such evil, and the Federal Government, alongside other levels of government, has a sacred duty to tirelessly eliminate this scourge across the country without lopsided attention,” Muhammad-Baba stated.
Also reacting, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) faulted the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, arguing that the successful rescue of the Oyo victims should not overshadow what it described as the government’s inability to prevent the abduction in the first place.
The National Publicity Secretary of the NEF, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, said the same urgency and operational commitment deployed in rescuing the Oyo pupils should be extended to schoolchildren and other victims still in captivity, particularly those abducted in Borno State.
According to him, no child should be exposed to the trauma of abduction if adequate security measures are in place.
“The government should have prevented the abduction of schoolchildren in the first instance. If the government can provide adequate security, nobody should be subjected to kidnapping, abduction or killing. I don’t know why the government is celebrating. Why should children be kidnapped?” Jiddere asked.
He maintained that the forum’s position on the country’s worsening security situation remained unchanged.
“Our position on insecurity has not changed. The government has woefully failed the schoolchildren and others still in captivity,” he added.
