Government’s inefficiency has turned kidnapping to lucrative business

Don't use force to rescue us, kidnapped forestry college students plead with Govt…Want security agents trained in modern tactics

By Adesina Wahab

The incessant kidnapping of students in some parts of the country should be blamed on the inefficiency of the government in handling security issues, parents and students have said.

They also queried the stance by security agencies that they would not want to use force to rescue abducted people, wondering why they should not go for training on modern steps of handling such situations.

The parents, under the aegis of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, spoke through their National President, Haruna Danjuma, in an interview with Vanguard on Sunday.

“Abduction of innocent students has become lucrative and a business criminals now relish, no thanks to the inefficiency of those concerned with handling such situations. The government seems to have neglected the issue of security in the country. The latest case is about a school that ought to have been adequately protected.

“The N500 million ransom being demanded by the abductors shows that it is now a lucrative business and we thought we would not have course to witness such an ugly incident again. Our security agents are saying that they cannot use fire-for-fire approach to rescue the victims, that is okay. But the question is, is that the only way to redeem the situation and rescue the victims?

“Our security agents should go for training on modern methods of handling such a situation. Last year, an American was abducted by some people in one of our neighbouring countries and the Americans came for him and freed him without much noise and hassle.

“We know the issue of security concerns all, but the government has a major role to play. It has to equip the security people adequately and also train them,” he said.

When asked if the government should pay the ransom and get the students freed, Danjuma said he did not know what to say, but that the students should be reunited unhurt with their families without further delay.

Also speaking for students, the Southwest Coordinator of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Kappo Samuel Olawale, said he had never seen or heard where the government negotiates with terrorists, describing the kidnappers as terrorists that should be decisively dealt with.

“The government must empower our military and security agents, that way they would be able to deal squarely with those criminals. Is it not a surprise and indicting on the part of the government when the armoury of the kidnappers is far better than that of our military.

“The issue is not about negotiating with the terrorists. They see what they are doing as a business that is why they move from one point to the other. They are blackmailing the government by their action and a blackmailer would want to continue for as long as possible unless he is permanently put out of business,” he stated.

Recall that 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Kaduna were at the weekend kidnapped by bandits.

Their abduction came after a series of abduction of students in schools in Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states in recent time.

Vanguard News Nigeria

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