• Niger govt absent as FG visits parents, management of Catholic school

From John Adams Minna

Federal Government has assured that the world stands by Nigeria in its efforts to defeat terrorism, adding that many countries across the world, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, were already providing technical assistance to the government.

National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who stated this while visiting Kotangora, Niger State, where he met with Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and proprietor of St. Michael’s Catholic School where over 200 children were recently abducted, and parents of abducted children, said President Bola Tinubu was deeply concerned for the safety of the children.

The NSA, who was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bernard Doro; the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi; and the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (Northern Region), Joseph Hayab, among others, told the anxious parents and the Christian leaders that the children would soon be reunited with their families.

Mallam told the gathering that security agencies were intensifying operations aimed at securing the children’s release.

“This is a painful period for all of us,” Ribadu said after listening to parents narrate their fears. “But I want to assure you: we will rescue your children. The President is deeply concerned and has directed that everything necessary must be done.”

The NSA said President Tinubu suspended official engagements, including a scheduled trip, to focus on the situation, adding that the government was taking full responsibility for strengthening security in the affected area.

He commended Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and proprietor of St. Michael’s Catholic Cathedral in Kontagora, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, for his resilience and leadership in the area while reiterating that Nigeria was already receiving technical support from several international partners, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

He said: “The whole world stands with us. This evil will not prevail. Your children will come back safely. That is our solemn promise.”

Aside from commending the Bishop, Ribadu equally assured that rescue operations would not slow down.

Earlier, Bishop Yohanna had thanked the Federal Government for the visit, saying that the visit had restored hope among distraught families.

Sources close to the NSA stated that a brief closed-door meeting took place after the open session, where church authorities presented their report on the incident. It was also gathered that representatives of the school and parents also recounted how the abduction occurred and the emotional strain it has brought upon the community during the meeting.

Meanwhile, Niger State government and its officials were conspicuously absent during the visit.

Reason for the absence was not known but it may not be unconnected with Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago’s stance that no students were abducted by bandits, insisting that the children ran into the bush as a result of fear due to sporadic gunshots by bandits. He has insisted that the school children would soon come out of hiding

The governor also contested the number of the alleged abducted students released by the school management, saying “the figure is lower than what the school gave. The school was too in a hurry to give figures.”

Since the incident occurred, no government official has visited the school for on-the-spot assessment of the situation as government has maintained its position, blaming the school management for steps taken so far.