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…Stakeholders look at causes, proffer solutions on how to end menace
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
From March 2021 to March 2024 was difficult period in Kaduna State. This is because during the period spanning four years, rampaging bandits descended on students in different schools, and abducted children from seven schools and ferried them into the forests, where they spent several months before they were released after ransom running into several millions of naira and dollars in some cases were paid.
However, some of the victims could not make it back home as they were killed by the bandits for either attempting to escape from the bandits’ den, due to deteriorating health conditions or inability to pay ransom demanded by the Kidnappers.
It would be recalled that on March 11, 2021, bandits invaded the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, located along the Kaduna International Airport Road and abducted 39 students.
Another kidnap saga at Greenfield University, a private school took place on April 20, 2021, when at least 20 students and two staff members were kidnapped in Kasarami village, Chikun LGA, Kaduna State.
Also, on June 10, 2021, bandits attacked the main campus of the Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria, Kaduna State at about 11:00p.m and kidnapped no fewer than 10 persons; two lecturers and eight students.
Again, on July 5, 2021, terrorists kidnapped 121 students of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna. They were released in batches after few months in captivity.
Not relenting, rampaging bandits on Monday night, October 11, 2021 invaded St. Albert the Great Institute of Philosophy, a seminary belonging to the Catholic Church in Southern Kaduna, and abducted some students.
The seminary is situated at Fayit community, Kagoma Chiefdom in the Jama’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In the latest attack on March 7, 2024, kidnappers stormed Kuriga town in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and abducted 287 students and pupils from a secondary school sharing fence with a primary school while the school children were preparing for classes in the morning hours.
For the latest attack in Kuriga, the Federal Government has since launched a search and rescue mission for the 287 missing children, which is the largest mass abduction in the last four years in Kaduna State.
Apparently worried about the increasing cases of kidnapping of students by bandits, some stakeholders have given reasons the incidents are not abating.
They noted that there are various factors that may be contributing to the disturbing trend, adding that one of the possible reasons could be the lucrative nature of ransom payments, which serves as a motivation for criminals to target vulnerable individuals, such as school children.
In order to put an end to this menace, a multi-faceted approach is being advocated such that government must take swift action to increase security measures in schools and their environs.
In a chat with Sunday Sun, the spokesman of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Abdullazeez Suleiman, opined that the security measure may involve deploying more security personnel, installing surveillance cameras, and implementing regular security drills.
Suleiman added that relevant authorities should intensify efforts to track down and apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes, emphasising that collaboration between different stakeholders, such as government, law enforcement agencies, and local communities, is crucial in addressing the issue.
The NEF spokesperson called for awareness campaigns to educate the public on ways to improve their personal security and reduce their vulnerability to kidnappers, stressing that kidnapping of school children in Kaduna is a serious problem that requires immediate attention and concerted efforts towards preventing and ensuring the safety of the children.
His words: “The recent increase in the kidnapping of school children in Kaduna is a cause for great concern. There are various factors that may be contributing to this disturbing trend. One possible reason could be the lucrative nature of ransom payments, which serves as a motivation for criminals to target vulnerable individuals, such as school children. In order to put an end to this menace, a multi-faceted approach is necessary.
“Firstly, the government must take swift action to increase security measures in schools and their surrounding areas. This may involve deploying more security personnel, installing surveillance cameras, and implementing regular security drills. Additionally, authorities should intensify efforts to track down and apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes. Furthermore, collaboration between different stakeholders, such as the government, law enforcement agencies, and local communities, is crucial in addressing this issue.
“By working together, these groups can share information, resources, and expertise to combat kidnapping effectively. Additionally, awareness campaigns can be conducted to educate the public on ways to improve their personal security and reduce their vulnerability to kidnappers.
“The kidnapping of school children in Kaduna is a serious problem that requires immediate attention and concerted efforts to address. By implementing comprehensive security measures, increasing collaboration between stakeholders, and raising public awareness, we can work towards preventing these crimes and ensuring the safety of our children”.
Also, lending his voice, the former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, said that the underlying causes of kidnapping such as poverty, unemployment and ignorance must be addressed.
Sani said that both governments and the citizens should come together and unleash their potential against the collective challenges of kidnapping and insecurity generally.
“I am not an expert on security. But I have been saying there is swam of locust across the land and not in Kaduna State alone, and we do not know the pests. Hence the inability to develop appropriate pesticides by way of punitive measures of hard power of military might and addressing the underlying causes such as poverty, unemployment and ignorance.
“Both governments and the citizens should come together and unleash their synergistic potential against collective challenges. This is because Nigeria can be likened to a big river being fed by tributaries. And if one tributary is poisoned, the whole river is contaminated. Hence the gust of kidnapping and attacks by gunmen,” he said.
A Kaduna-based community leader, Elder John Fwah also expressed worry over kidnapping of school children, giving reasons for the menace, as well as proffering some solutions to it.
Fwah said: “The fear of going to school has gripped the young, future leaders of this country with trend of kidnapping of school children from their schools.
“A young child confronted me with this: ‘Baba is it true kidnappers went to one school and kidnapped more than 200 children, in which part of Kaduna? Why did that happen? And the teachers too?’
“The question and conversation with this young one who was on his way to school with others left me blankly stupefied.
“It’s just obvious that kidnapping of school children from their schools sounds normal in present day Nigeria. Recall the Leah of Dapchi, Yobe State, before Dapchi there’s the Chibok girls, of recent Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states are not left out in school children kidnapping.
“The fact is that the kidnappers have found the school children as soft target where they can get large numbers without resistance, as well as rake in good ransom from desperate parents and guardians. Moreover the kidnappers appear to posses more firepower than the Nigerian security agencies and can afford to play around with the weapons anyhow.
“There’s no way one can rule out the elements of sabotage from within, as the saying goes, it’s the rat in the house that informs the rats outside that there’s food in the house.
“Ways and means for the government to put a stop to this menace is to conduct internal scrutiny of itself by purging itself of doubtful elements in its set up in security circles. Security is the bane of agriculture as farmers can no longer carry on their livelihoods and this has created great hunger in the land. The governments, both federal and state should fashion out strategies to empower the people economically.
“Workers are not to be overlooked. Federal Government should dialogue and reach an acceptable agreement with the Organised Labour. This is very important. It’s a pity that many state governments are found wanting in this area of empowerment. However, Governor Zulum stands out from the crowd with very good governance. Government should as a matter of urgency provide public transportation and regular electricity supply to be able to attract potential industries as a way to reducing unemployment rate in the country”.
In the meantime, one of the abducted students in Kuriga, Mustapha, a JSS 3 student, had escaped from the bandits’ den.
Narrating his experience, he said that the bandits fed all of the kidnapped victims with just three bottles of soft drinks, while the kidnappers struggled over few oranges to feed themselves two days after the incident.
According to Mustapha, “when they gave us the soft drinks we were all tired and God helped me as we were walking I was just looking for away to escape, then God showed me one place and I knew that once I enter the place I will be able to escape.
“Then I saw a place and I felt down and drag my body on the ground, then I lied down, I was there for like an hour lying down and the entire place was wet with sweat.
“So, for me it was God that helped me to escape because we walked a long distance, after walking the long distance journey, we sat down, they gave all the boys only three soft drinks to share.”
Recalling how the victims were moved into the forest, he said that the bandits came with 25 motorcycles to pack the pupils while some of them were forced to trekd long distance into the forest.
“They (bandits) came to our school with 25 motorcycles almost 8:30a.m when we where trying to enter our classrooms, then some of the gunmen dropped on the main road and others surrounded the schools and took us to the bush,” Abubakar added.
One of the teachers of Government Secondary School Kuriga, Sani Abdullahi, who also escaped from the bandits said: “I resumed to the school today at exactly 7:47a.m. I entered the acting Principal’s office and signed. All of a sudden, the acting Principal asked me to look at my back and when I turned, we discovered that bandits had surrounded the school premises.
“We became confused, we didn’t know where to go. Then, the bandits asked us to enter the bush, so we obeyed them. So, when we entered the bush, I was lucky to escape alongside many other people.
“So, I returned to the village and reported what happened to the community. So, immediately our vigilante and personnel of KADVS followed the bandits, but the vigilante did not succeed, in fact, the bandits killed one of the vigilante, we just buried him a few hours ago.
“It was when we came back from that pursuit that we briefed the Village Head and we started making efforts to know the actual number of pupils and teachers taken away by the bandits.
“At GSS Kuriga, 187 students are presently missing. In the primary school, 125 pupils were initially missing, but, 25 of them escaped and retired home”.
Interestingly, the State governor, Uba Sani has assured the parents of the abductees that their children would soon return home unhurt.
While addressing the community members, the governor promised to establish a police station and build a permanent camp for the military in the community.
The community members who trooped out to receive the governor at the Village Head’s palace applauded Governor Sani for personally coming down to Kuriga to identify with them during the trying moment
“In my capacity as your elected governor, I am assuring you that by the grace of God, all the children will return unhurt.
“Before coming here, I spoke with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and we are making efforts, the security forces have swung into action and by God’s grace, we will rescue the children.
“We will do whatever we need to do to ensure safe return of these children, even if it means coming to Kuriga to stay with you. The essence of government is protection of citizens’ lives and property. We recognize the fact that, we are holding this position in trust for the people and by God’s grace, we will protect the citizens’ rights.
“I am one of the prominent voices on the issue of security. When I was in the Senate, I moved the motion for the creation of State Police. We have realized that, there are not enough boots on ground, that is why we feel that if there is State Police, every community like Kuriga, will have people in the police and they would be armed with AK47 rifles. That is the only way we would be able to protect the lives and property of the citizens.
“The vigilantes are not as armed as the bandits, because they do have AK47, that is why the bandits are constantly causing us destructions. They come in to humiliate, kill and abduct our citizens.
“Since I received the sad news of this incident, I have not had rest of mind because every child in Kaduna State is my child. So, I don’t want you people to be disturbed. Let’s pray to God to help and on our part as a government, we will not rest until these children return home.
“We are going to select seven people from this community, who will be part of a committee, where we would be having discussions,” Sani said.
