Kagara abductions: Niger gov meets Buhari, gives crucial update on ongoing rescue efforts
- The governor of Niger state, Abubakar Bello, has visited President Buhari to brief him on the Kagara abductions
- Bandits had on Wednesday, February 17, kidnapped 27 students and others at a school in Kagara, Niger state
- Among other things, Governor Bello said he made a request for deployment of more security personnel to rescue the kidnap victims
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President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday evening, February 17, met with the governor of Niger state, Abubakar Bello, at Aso Rock over the abductions at a public secondary school in Kagara.
Bandits had kidnapped 27 students, three staff and some family members at the school in the early hours of Wednesday.
After the meeting, Governor Bello told newsmen that he spoke with the president on deploying additional security personnel to the state, and working towards ensuring a long-lasting solution to insecurity, The Cable reported.
Source: Twitter
He said he was very convinced by what President Buhari told him, adding that he has seen the presence of the military in Kagara.
The governor expressed optimism that his request for some additional personnel and equipment will be granted as soon as possible.
He said while the immediate priority is to get the kidnapped victims released, it is also important to have a long-lasting solution to the farmers/herders conflicts.
Governor Bello added that he will continue to engage the service chiefs and the federal government so that they can be guided and advised on the steps to take.
The Niger state governor also said he supported the position of the Senate that President Buhari should declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country.
His words:
“At the moment, if you look at what is happening, we are having security challenges in almost all parts of the country. So, yes, there’s a need to install some form of emergency on security matters across board. So yes, I think the senate acted in good faith. Something definitely needs to be done."
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President Buhari had earlier condemned the abduction of the students and others via a statement through his spokesperson, Garba Shehu,
The statement indicated that the president had directed the security agencies to ensure the immediate and safe return of all the captives.
He urged members of the armed forces to do everything necessary to secure the release of the students and prevent a repeat of the attacks on schools in the future.
Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president of Nigeria, has also spoken against the Kagara abductions.
Speaking on the disturbing development, Atiku warned that Nigeria must stop rewarding criminality, adding that it would result in more crimes being committed.
Atiku who described the current menace as alarming explained that allowing criminals to profit from their criminality is not a solution.
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Nurudeen Lawal is a Legit.ng journalist passionate about fact-checking/verification journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature-in-English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. As Politics Editor, Nurudeen mostly writes on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments. He has attended different workshops, conferences and training on fact-checking and digital reporting, among others. Learn more about him on Twitter, @Nurudeen Lawal_
Source: Legit.ng
