Editors’ guild lament incessant abduction of students

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has condemned the incessant abduction of students by bandits in some parts of the country.

The Guild is worried that the spate of abductions, if not checked, could discourage parents from sending their children to school and thereby lead to a further increase in the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

In a statement by its president, Mustapha Isah, the body believes that children have the right to education and schools should be made safe for them to learn. “A comprehensive security plan should be put in place by all levels of government to prevent further abductions of students. Going to school to acquire knowledge is not a crime.

“In the same vein, the Guild calls on the Nigerian government to urgently revisit the Safe School Initiative, with a view to implementing it for the benefit of Nigerian children.

“The body of editors believes that dialogue and amnesty for bandits have not been positively impactful and therefore, it should be discouraged.

The Guild aligns with the advice of President Muhammadu Buhari to state governors, to stop giving cash and other materials, such as vehicles to bandits because such overtures could empower them to carry out more abductions.”
 
The Guild further condemned a statement credited to an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, describing journalists as criminals. Sheikh Gumi had accused media professionals of adding to insecurity in the country by the names used in describing bandits.

“Sheikh Gumi and his like-minded are hereby reminded that journalists don’t create events, they merely report them. Also, journalists should not be expected to eulogise a group of people that abducts innocent children and others at will.”