Oriire: Northern groups react as Senate okays N50m for families of slain teachers, soldiers

• COAS, IGP, others urged to deploy troops to attacked communities

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja and Noah Ebije, Kaduna

The Senate has approved a ₦50 million support package for the families of two teachers murdered by abductors and three security personnel who lost their lives during the rescue operation that secured the release of pupils and teachers kidnapped from a school in Oriire Local Government, Oyo State.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the donation during plenary yesterday, saying each of the five bereaved families would receive ₦10 million in recognition of the sacrifices made by the deceased.

The beneficiaries are the families of the slain Mathematics teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun; the English teacher, Deacon John Olaleye; Lieutenant F.A. Isaac; Private Silas Musa; and Sergeant Abena John Jerome, who died during last week’s rescue operation.

Senate had on Tuesday commended President Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security agencies for the successful rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers.

Akpabio also praised the Chief of Army Staff, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Inspector-General of Police, the Minister of Defence and President Tinubu, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, for ensuring the success of the operation.

He noted that although the victims were rescued alive, the operation came at a painful cost with the loss of five lives.

“In appreciation of their sacrifice, the Senate has resolved to send a token of N50 million to be shared equally among the five bereaved families,” Akpabio said.

He explained that each family would receive N10 million to support the children and other dependants left behind by the deceased.

The Senate President subsequently directed the leadership of the upper chamber to present the cheques to the affected families on behalf of the Senate.

He expressed hope that, although symbolic, the financial support would provide some relief to the grieving families and demonstrate the Senate’s appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice made by the fallen teachers and security personnel.

Meanwhile, prominent northern socio-political groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Arewa Think Tank (ATT) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), have welcomed the development but urged that similar support be extended to victims of abductions and terrorism across the country.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, described the gesture as commendable but called on the government to make it a national policy.

“It is certainly very interesting. To the best of my knowledge, I do not know of any victims, especially schoolchildren, who have been compensated in this manner, from Chibok to Zamfara, Kaduna and other places.

“Nothing that is done to compensate victims of such atrocities can be faulted.

“As we stated in our earlier release, everything must be done to ensure that these students and pupils receive compensation for the trauma they have suffered. We hope this same gesture, like the rescue itself, will be replicated in other parts of the country, including Kwara, Zamfara, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina and Yobe states.

“As generous as it is, we hope it will apply to everyone and will not attract accusations that the government is more interested in the South-West than other parts of the country.

“We also hope the Federal Government will do everything possible to stop the spate of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping. What Nigeria needs is a lasting solution. The best approach is to prevent situations where innocent citizens have to be compensated because of the activities of terrorists and other criminal elements.”

The Convener of the Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, also welcomed the initiative, describing it as a demonstration of empathy by the Federal Government.

“The Federal Government’s gesture is appreciated. There is no amount of money that can adequately compensate for the trauma these children have experienced. Nevertheless, this shows that the government has empathy and cares about the victims.

“We commend President Bola Tinubu for this initiative and urge the government to make it a uniform policy across the country. Children rescued from similar incidents in Borno and other states should also receive the same support.

“No one should politicise the gesture or suggest that it is because the victims are from Oyo State. It should become a national policy applicable to all victims under similar circumstances.

“We also commend our security agencies for a job well done. We believe they have the capacity to confront these security challenges, and we hope Nigeria will emerge stronger.”

Commenting on the development, the spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddere, said: “I hope all previous victims of kidnapping will receive the same amount of money.”