The rescue of 44 pupils and teachers kidnapped in Oyo State after 56 days in captivity has renewed pressure on President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to conduct similar operations to free hundreds of other schoolchildren, women and other Nigerians still being held by terrorists across the country.
Sunday PUNCH reports that our correspondent’s findings indicated that families of abducted victims, religious and community leaders, civil society organisations and opposition politicians have appealed to the Tinubu-led federal government to emulate the successful intelligence-led operation that resulted in the release of the Oyo victims in Borno, Kwara and other states where scores of victims have been held in captivity for months.
The repeated requests came after security authorities said on Friday that all individuals abducted during coordinated raids on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15 had regained their release without the payment of ransom.
Described by security authorities as intelligence-led and jointly executed by the military, the Department of State Services, and the police, the operation has been widely hailed as evidence that coordinated security efforts can deliver results when backed by political will and effective intelligence.
But while Nigerians hailed the success, attention went to dozens of other abducted victims across the country whose relatives claim they are still waiting for their loved ones to be returned safely.
Families of Borno victims seek equitable treatment
In Borno State, where 78 students remain captive after separate Boko Haram attacks on schools in the Askira/Uba Local Government Area, parents said the Oyo rescue had renewed hope but also heightened their frustration at what they called prolonged silence over their children’s fate.
Suspected Boko Haram insurgents assaulted Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School on May 16, kidnapping 42 kids.
Just six weeks later, on June 29, terrorists again attacked Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in the same local government region, kidnapping 36 pupils and a teacher.
On behalf of the families impacted, Ibrahim Millam, our correspondent, whose daughter, Esther Ibrahim, is among the pupils taken in Lassa, said the parents had not received any relevant update from the authorities since the incident.
The family had been saddened by the protracted silence from the security agencies, he said.
“Since they kidnapped my daughter, Esther, and her schoolmates, we haven’t heard a thing.
“It was silence; no information on where they are. “We commend the Federal Government for the rescue of the Oyo students. We must not let our children die in captivity, please. They are our salvation. “We are not safe in our own homes,” Millam remarked.
Another resident of Mussa hamlet, Sani Abdullahi, informed our correspondent that the continuing imprisonment of the kids had thrown many families into mental distress.
“It’s a pity our children are still being held after nearly two months. Parents are losing faith. If you go to the families now, it’s tears atop tears.
“We don’t even know where to start anymore as a community or who is going to help us,” he said.
Community leaders have tried several times to engage the relevant authorities but without any tangible outcomes, he said.
“We have had meetings and we have sent our representatives to the government with our pleas but there’s been ongoing silence. All we receive is certainty. When are they coming home?Abdullahi asked.
“If Oyo can do it, why can’t Kwara?’
The rescue in Oyo has also rekindled pressure on the fate of the 176 women and children abducted from Woro and adjoining Nuku towns in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State in one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks recorded in the state earlier in the year.
Heavy armed terrorists assaulted the neighbourhoods on February 3 and 4 killing reportedly more than 200 civilians, burning homes, stores and other buildings and displacing thousands. Time and Calendars
Videos were eventually broadcast by the terrorists showing the hostages held in a forest in brutal conditions, and additional communications threatened to kill them if specific demands were not met.
President Bola Tinubu later ordered the deployment of more troops and specialised tactical teams to Kwara North, but relatives of the victims say there has been little movement to secure their liberation nearly six months after the incident.
Comrade M.Z. Shero, in an appeal signed on behalf of inhabitants of Kaiama, Woro and Yashikira Emirate, requested the President, the National Security Adviser, the Kwara State Government, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and security agencies to promptly start a coordinated rescue mission.
“We are all very sad as we await news on 176 innocent citizens now held captive from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area and 11 members of a family from Yashikira Emirate.
“We know the government has the capability and resources to rescue our people. Each hour is important. “It’s every life that counts,” he said.
Uman Zakari, a shareholder from Kaiama, said the Oyo rescue was hailed because it rekindled hope that their loved ones too could recover their freedom.
The announcement delighted the entire Kaiama village. “It rekindled our hope that our people, too, will be released from captivity.”
He called on the Kwara State government to step up partnership with the federal government and security services.
Such activities can be repeated when there is close cooperation between the state and Federal governments. “These rescue operations are a glory to the President and hope to Nigerians,” Zakari remarked. The executive branch
Asked if family were still in touch with the abductees, Zakari said information was still scant.
“The only communication was when the terrorists released a video threatening that if ransom was not paid, that would be the last time we would see our people,” he added.
The Chief Imam of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Dr Sanusi Lafiagi, told our correspondent that he had thanked the president and security services on the successful rescue of the Oyo victims, but urged for similar efforts in Kwara.
I join millions of well-meaning Nigerians to celebrate the successful recovery of the abducted Oyo pupils and teachers.
“Sir, please I want to remind you of the 176 women and children from Woro that have been in captivity since February, and other kidnapped victims from Kwara North. “They too deserve to be rescued and to be reunified with their families,” he said. Time & Calendars
Lafiagi cautioned authorities have to ensure the tragedy does not turn into yet another never-ending national problem.
“We cannot afford another Chibok or Dapchi experience,” he added.
Also, Abdulrasaq Olanrewaju, an Ilorin-based public affairs expert, said the Oyo operation merited plaudits but wondered why comparable haste had not been displayed in Kwara.
“The rescue operation in Oyo is very welcome news and should be applauded. “Saving a life, that’s a win.”
“But if collective action can yield results in Oyo, why are the Woro abductees, who were abducted much earlier, still waiting?‘he asked.
“The different public attention helps to explain the different results,” he says.
“In Oyo, the problem was kept in the national consciousness through persistent media coverage, protests and public advocacy.
Kwara people are scared to undertake longer-term public campaigns out of fear of intimidation. That fear lowers public pressure and allows the matter to gradually fade from the national headlines,” Olanrewaju said.
Hope dies in Kaduna
Kaduna State: Families of Easter Sunday worshippers seized by bandits in Ariko Community, Kachia Local Government Area, are losing hope over three months after the raid, with indications indicating that some of the hostages may have died in the kidnappers’ camp.
Scores of people were abducted during Easter Sunday services as gunmen stormed First ECWA Church and St Augustine Catholic Church.
The Village Head of Ariko, Joshua Doka, told our correspondent that the latest proof of life was an audio recording allegedly received by one of the abductees, who said some of the prisoners died of hunger, illness and severe conditions in captivity.
He said the community has not gotten any fresh update from the Kaduna State administration on efforts to secure the release of the victims.
“They are still demanding for N1bn and 35 motorcycles and have refused to reduce the ransom despite all our appeal,” Doka claimed.
“All communication with the victims has been through the kidnappers,” he stated.
“We are begging the federal government, the Kaduna State government and the security agencies to rescue our people before more lives are lost,” he added.
Analysts want replication of Oyo model
The successful rescue in Oyo was encouraging but should be a blueprint for operations elsewhere, said Abubakar Kareto, a public affairs expert based in Maiduguri.
“The rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area after 56 days was indeed a major victory and thing of joy for Nigeria and Nigerians. Geographic Reference
“The rescue achieved through the joint efforts of the military, police and DSS has restored hope,” he said.
But Kareto cautioned against letting other kidnapping instances fall into public oblivion.
“While we rejoice at the rescue in the South-West, let us not forget that over 40 students abducted in Borno State while sitting for their NECO examinations at the same time are still in captivity. “This shows the need for equal security attention to regions,” he said.
The analyst called on the federal government to promptly commence similar intelligence-led operations in Borno.
“The successful intelligence-led rescue model used in Oyo should be immediately replicated in Borno. The government needs to take proactive steps to implement the Safe Schools Initiative to safeguard vulnerable rural schools.
“Federal security agencies also need to improve intelligence sharing with state and local security structures to prevent abductions,” Kareto added.
Youth protest brewing in Borno
Meanwhile, the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, warned that his group would mobilise peaceful protests if the abducted students were not rescued. Executive Department
“If the Borno State government and Senator Ali Ndume do not secure the release of our schoolchildren abducted from Mussa and Lassa in weeks, we will protest in our communities,” he warned.
ADC demands equal treatment of
The African Democratic Congress also called on the federal government to duplicate the same operational dedication that was on display in Oyo among victims in Borno and Kwara.
But the party, in a statement published yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, congratulating the rescued victims, warned against selective rescue attempts.
“We thank the security agencies and all those who worked tirelessly to make this rescue happen. “Most importantly, we celebrate with the families who have endured a long, traumatic wait.
But the party highlighted other victims deserved equal consideration.
“The girls kidnapped in Borno State are still in captivity and over 100 persons kidnapped in Kaiama, Kwara State, are still in captivity several months after.
“We believe their suffering deserves the same urgency, determination and national attention that brought the Oriire victims home,” Abdullahi added.
The ADC claimed that the government’s performance against insecurity should not be measured solely by rescue operations.
‘Every successful rescue is worth celebrating. But every abduction is also a reminder that the first duty of government is to prevent citizens from being kidnapped in the first place.
He added: “What we must not do is get into a mindset where we measure our success by how many rescue operations we do.”
“Nigeria’s true measure of success will be when parents can send their children to school without fear and citizens can move around the country safely,” Abdullahi remarked. GeographicReference
“We cannot have meaningful economic growth, we cannot attract investment, we cannot restore public confidence when kidnapping is a recurring feature of national life,” he said.
ACF, NEF to free all abducted
Similarly, the Arewa Consultative Forum in its reaction called on Tinubu to intensify efforts to ensure the release of all Nigerians still in captivity across the country, saying the success recorded in the rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State should be a signal for the commencement of an all-out campaign against kidnappers across the country.
The charity, which is based in the north, said while it hailed the freeing of the Oyo victims, thousands of families in Borno, Kaduna, Kwara, Zamfara and other states were still eagerly waiting for the return of their loved ones.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, in a statement on Saturday, said the operation was a source of joy and relief. Muhammad-Baba congratulated the rescued kids, their parents, guardians and communities.
“We in the Arewa Consultative Forum congratulate the school children and teachers of Oyo State on their successful rescue. “We celebrate with the learners, their parents and guardians and communities,” he said.
But the ACF asked the Federal Government to show the same willingness to rescue other abductees across the country.
We passionately appeal to the President Bola Tinubu administration, the security forces and all relevant authorities to ensure the release of all persons who remain 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. Executive Branch
“No citizen should experience such evil and the federal government, among other levels of government, has a sacred duty to work tirelessly to eradicate this scourge across the nation without one-sided attention,” Muhammad-Baba said.
Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof Abubakar Jiddere, has faulted the federal government’s handling of insecurity, saying the successful rescue of the abducted Oyo schoolchildren should not hide what he described as the government’s failure to prevent such kidnappings in the first place.
He told our correspondent that the same urgency and operational dedication that led to the release of the Oyo victims should be applied to the rescue of the pupils and others still in the nest of the kidnappers, especially those taken in Borno State.
He said no child should have to face the agony of abduction if proper security measures were in place.
The government should have prevented the kidnapping of the youngsters in the first place. “If the government can provide adequate security, no one should be kidnapped, abducted or killed. “I don’t know why the government is happy. Why would you kidnap children?” Jiddere asked .
The NEF official said the forum’s opinion on the country’s security situation was unchanged.
Our stance toward insecurity has not changed. The administration has failed miserably the youngsters and others still in captivity,” he added.
Executive Branch reacts to Presidency
Reacting to the rising calls, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said Tinubu had ordered security and intelligence services to ensure that all Nigerians still in the custody of kidnappers are released, wherever they are.
“The president has given a directive to the security and intelligence agencies to rescue every Nigerian who is in captivity, whether they are in the North-East, North-West, South-East or South-West, and that is happening every day,” Ajayi told our correspondent.
“There is hardly a day that the military, DSS and the police are not rescuing children, women and men across the country.
“Go to the social media pages of the military, the DSS and the police and you will see reports of liberated communities, rescued victims, eliminated terrorists and bandits.
“This isn’t an ethnic thing. He added: “The president is the president of the country, and every life is important to him.
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