Two weeks after, the 287 abducted school children of LEA Primary School, and students of the Government Secondary School, in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, are yet to return.
Gun-wielding bandits had stormed the school in the early hours of Thursday March 7,2024, after the morning assembly.
They began to shoot sporadically before whisking the 287 innocent children into the bush
President Bola Tinubu and the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, had assured Nigerians, parents and guardians of the victims of the safe return of the kidnapped school children.
However, the Kaduna governor on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, held a meeting with traditional rulers and heads of security agencies in the state at the Government House, to brainstorm on ways to rescue the abducted students.
The meeting also deliberated on ways to tackle insecurity in the state.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the governor said, “Today, I held an emergency meeting with key stakeholders from Birnin-Gwari, Chikun, Giwa, Igabi, Kachia and Kagarko LGAs to review the security situation in the areas, assess our intelligence gathering and sharing efforts, and take decisive steps to degrade terrorists destroying lives and livelihoods.
“The meeting which had Heads of Security Agencies in attendance was convened in response to the recent escalation of attacks by terror groups.
“Since the Kuriga school children abduction, I have been working round the clock, and pulling out all the stops, across all layers of government and security architecture, to ensure their safe return and most crucially to see that this terrible menace is contained.
“I am in constant touch with parents of the abducted children and leaders of the Kuriga community.
“They are in high spirits, confident that our efforts will be successful.”
According to him, one of the key issues the emergency meeting addressed is the issue of informants at the local level.
“We must identify them and deal with them decisively. Traditional Rulers, Religious Leaders, Local Government Chairmen and other key stakeholders have a key role to play in assisting security agencies with intelligence.
“All hands must be on deck to root out the evil elements in our communities. As the Governor, I will lead this battle from the front. Our extraordinary situation now demands extraordinary sacrifice, cooperation and commitment.
“Our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is leaving no stone unturned to bring back the school children and stabilize the security situation in Kaduna State. We thank His Excellency for his exemplary show of support and empathy,”
the governor added.
