Federal Government has concluded plans to train some newly recruited personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as the School Safety Protection Squad to halt cases of abduction of schoolchildren from their schools.
The Commander of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre of the NSCDC, Hammed Abodunrin, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday just as the Defence Headquarters said troops rescued 137 abducted pupils of the LEA Primary School and the Government Secondary School Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna, within Zamfara State.
This came as President Bola Tinubu welcomed the news of the release of the Kuriga schoolchildren, as well as the release of pupils of a Tsangaya school in Sokoto State, commending all the parties involved in the feat for their valiant efforts.
The Defence Headquarters announced that 137 Kaduna schoolchildren were rescued but it did not explain what happened to the remaining as 287 pupils were kidnapped from the schools on March 7, 2024.
Efforts to get further clarifications from the Defence Headquarters did not succeed as the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen. Edward Buba, didn’t pick up calls to his mobile telephone and had yet to respond to a message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
But the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, in an interview on Channels Television, put the number of the abducted pupils at 137.
On March 7, 2024, there were reports that 287 pupils and teachers of LEA Primary School and the Government Secondary School Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State were abducted by suspected terrorists who took them into the forest.
Their abductors subsequently requested a ransom of N1bn for their release, setting a deadline of March 27, 2024, for the
But the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen, Buba, in a statement on Sunday, stated that the victims were rescued in the early hours of Sunday by the troops with support from local authorities and government agencies.
Buba put the number of the rescued victims at 137, comprising 76 females and 61 males, adding that they were rescued in Zamfara State and would be conveyed to Kaduna where they would be handed over to the state government.
The statement read, “Recall that on March 7, 2024, troops received information that terrorists had invaded LEA School Kuriga in Chikun LG of Kaduna State. During the incident, an unconfirmed number of pupils were abducted. Following the incident, the military committed to leaving no stone unturned until all the hostages were rescued.
“Accordingly, in the early hours of March 24, 2024, the military, working with local authorities and government agencies across the country, in a coordinated search and rescue operation, rescued the hostages.
“The hostages are the same persons that were abducted from the school at Kuriga in Chikun LGA of Kaduna state.
rescued hostages totalling 137, comprising 76 females and 61 males, were rescued in Zamfara State and would be conveyed and handed over to the Kaduna State Government for further action.”
The rescue of the Kaduna pupils comes a day after troops rescued 16 pupils (Almajiris) with a woman taken hostage in Gada LGA of Sokoto State.
The troops have handed over the rescued victims to the Sokoto State Government.
According to Buba, the recent success of the troops was a testament to their resolve to rescue kidnapped victims across the country.
He said, “These efforts demonstrate the armed forces’ resolve to find other innocent hostages and track down the terrorists that perpetrated these crimes.
“These efforts would continue until other hostages are found and the terrorists arrested, tried, and brought to justice by Nigerian law.
‘’Troops are employing similar efforts to track down the culprits responsible for the killings of 18 soldiers in Okuama Community in Delta State.
In a related development, in a bid to address the rising kidnapping of pupils, the Federal Government said it had begun plans to create a school safety protection corps to safeguard schools across the country.
The Commander of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre, NSCDC, Abodunrin, who disclosed this to one of our correspondents, said the government had also resolved to employ more security personnel and had procured equipment to bring an end to the kidnapping of students by terrorists.
The Safe School Response is an initiative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in response to increasing cases of attacks on schools by bandits.
The National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre was established by the Federal Government and saddled with the responsibility of coordinating safety and security responses against violence in schools and host communities.
Providing updates on the steps taken by the government to halt cases of abductions of pupils from schools, Abodunrin said, “The Federal Government has declared zero tolerance on kidnapping for ransoms and has resolved to empower security agencies more to prevent reoccurrence. Equipment is being procured, such as vehicles, motorcycles and ICT facilities while more personnel are being employed to tackle the challenges squarely.
“For instance, the centre will soon train some of the newly recruited personnel of NSCDC across the 36 states of the federation and FCT as the school safety protection squad. This team will be able to provide a quicker response when needed. They will work with the corps’ female squad nationwide as well as with the police and military resources where available and when required.
“These problems did not just come in a day. Solving them will follow processes but the most important thing is that actions are being taken fast.”
He also noted the corps and other paramilitary agencies had begun security education, adding that “the NSSRCC has commenced community engagement to build confidence and capacity of the members of the community.
The centre is also collaborating with relevant stakeholders on child protection. The centre is being repositioned to improve on the deployment of technology to obtain quick information especially where there’s no network. State and local government centres are to be established by relevant authorities with timely information and quick response.”
The commander linked kidnapping to inadequate installation of closed-circuit televisions by schools and the poor use of technology.
“The most challenging issue is the lack of security culture. How many schools have identification cards for their students? How many members of staff care to know the number of pupils/students in their schools? Even when you ask some principals in the middle of the term, they will tell you they will check records.
Reacting to the release of the Kuriga schoolchildren, the Kaduna State Governor, Sani, announced on his X handle in the early hours of Sunday that the children had regained freedom.
He praised the efforts of President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, as well as the Nigerian Army and all Nigerians for their fervent prayers.
Sani, “I wish to announce that our Kuriga schoolchildren have been released. Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for prioritising the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga schoolchildren are released unharmed.
“While the schoolchildren were in captivity, I spoke with Mr. President several times. He shared our pains, comforted us and worked round the clock with us to ensure the safe return of the children.
“Special mention must also be made of our dear brother, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, for his exemplary leadership. I spent sleepless nights with Mallam Ribadu fine-tuning strategies and coordinating the operations of the security agencies, which eventually resulted in this successful outcome.
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