Security agencies mum as search for abducted Kuriga school pupils continues

• Abductions fester despite govt’s N5tr investment in armoured tanks in Q4 of 2023
• Intelligence operatives should infiltrate terrorists camps – ex-DIG Lakanu
• Sack Service Chiefs now – HURIWA
• Activate necessary political will to end insecurity, NRM tells Tinubu

Security forces yesterday continued to search forests and set up roadblocks in the Northwest of the country in an attempt to find hundreds of kidnapped schoolchildren, as calls for an overhaul of the security hierarchy intensify.

More than 280 children aged between seven and 18 were kidnapped from a school in Kuriga, Kaduna State last Thursday in one of the biggest mass abductions in recent months and a further 15 children were taken in another raid on a school in Sokoto on Saturday. This is after more than 200 other people, mostly women and children displaced by conflict, were taken in a separate raid in the Northeastern state Borno last week.

As mass abductions fester across the country despite government’s N5 trillion investment in armoured tanks in the fourth quarter of 2023, observers say combing the forest for the abducted school kids would take weeks.

No group has claimed responsibility for the school abductions. Children who had escaped the kidnappers in Kuriga described their ordeal after being taken from their school. At about 8am on Thursday, when the school’s 1,000 students were about to settle into their classes, dozens of armed men in military uniforms rode on motorbikes into the school grounds.

Abubakar, 18, a secondary school pupil, was among the children herded into the forest as they were beaten with horsewhips, but he managed to escape. “We trekked for hours in the scorching heat until we were all exhausted,” Abubakar told AFP. He said the kidnappers separated girls from boys. “There were more girls than boys.”

Lawan Yaro, a villager, whose five grandchildren were among those abducted, said his hopes were fading. He said people were used to the region’s insecurity, “but it has never been in this manner”.

More than 3,500 people have been abducted across Nigeria in the last year, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project.

The gangs are “adapting their strategies and further entrenching themselves in the Northwest through extortion”, said James Barnett, a researcher on West Africa at the U.S.-based Hudson Institute.

Terrorism has festered despite governments’ humongous investment in security equipment. The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) at the weekend stated that N5 trillion worth of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles were imported into the country in the fourth quarter of 2023, majorly from Singapore.

Over 1,400 children have been reportedly abducted in Nigeria since 300 girls were taken from Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, sparking widespread international condemnation.

Since then, there has been series of mass school abductions such as Dapchi (Yobe State) in February 2018, Kankara (Katsina State) in December 2020, Kagara (Niger State) in February 2021, Jangebe (Zamfara State) in February 2021, Kaduna abduction in March 2021, Birnin Gwari (Kaduna State) in March 2021, Greenfield University (Kaduna State) in April 2021, Tegina (Niger State) in May 2021, Kaduna abduction in July 2021, Yauri (Kebbi State) abduction in June 2021, Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi, Chikun LGA (Kaduna State) in September 2021, Federal University Gusau (Zamfara State) in September 2023, and Federal University Dutsin-ma (Katsina State) in October 2023.

Reacting to the resurgence of the abductions, former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Taiwo Lakanu (rtd) said: “In as much as buying equipment is in the right direction, modern warfare is more of kinetic rather than non-kinetic nature. The ability to locate and destroy enemies from far distances will aid a quick end to the warfare.

“I also concede that due to material support from external cell affiliation, such wars are more complex. Location of schools in rural areas make close quartered monitoring difficult. Temporary merging of such schools with those in townships will reduce attacks considerably. It will be difficult for terrorists in long convoys to operate in populated areas.

“Infiltration of terrorist camps by Intelligence units is another step in fighting terrorism and other violent crimes is no picnic or tea party. It’s really an expensive venture.”

National coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, noted that Defence spending is characterised by massive corruption and procurement heists, which Nigeria must checkmate to be able to buy appropriately.

“The country needs defence equipment audits to be in a position to know why we are not getting it right even with the humongous budgets we invest in defence spending.” He added that the abductions of school children would stop when the armed forces are able to have the right calibre of Commanders in place as heads of the different segments of the armed forces.

HURIWA said the increasing spate of attacks by terrorists have exposed the empty propaganda by spokesmen of the military regarding what they called breakthroughs in the war on terror.

“They feed us with propaganda that they are eliminating top commanders of terrorist groups but yet we keep reading about attacks by terrorists. So, who are these terrorists that have continued to bombard parts of Nigeria including Katsina, Borno, Benue and Kaduna states?”

National President, Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria, (ALPSPN), Mr. Chris Adigwu, called for more proactiveness and intelligence sharing on the part of security agencies to be able to nib in the board attempted terror attacks.

He said “The security agencies should be proactive rather than reactive in addressing the growing issue of kidnapping, especially in areas where incidents are on the rise.

“By tapping into the specialized skills, resources, and experience of private security firms, the government can better address security challenges and alleviate the burden on state actors. This collaboration can enhance intelligence gathering, surveillance capabilities, and response mechanisms, ultimately leading to a more robust and efficient security framework.

“The current combination of insecurity and economic challenges poses a significant threat to society. It is essential for both the citizenry and the government to work together with unity of purpose to overcome these challenges. By fostering cooperation, communication, and mutual support, we can weather the storm and strive towards a safer and more prosperous Nigeria.”

The National Rescue Movement (NRM) has called on President Bola Tinubu to activate the necessary political will to reverse the ugly trend of kidnapping across the country. While wondering whether the government is conscious of its primary responsibilities to the people of Nigeria, the party lamented that Kidnapping, particularly of innocent school children, was becoming a norm in the country.

National Publicity Secretary, NRM, Sola Afuye, in a statement on Sunday, condemned the continued kidnapping of Nigerians and urged the Federal Government to stop at nothing to end insecurity in Nigeria.

Arising from the party’s state of the nation review meeting, the statement said the Acting National Chairman, Chinedu Obi, said the recurrence of these sad situations is akin to a sign of a failed state, adding that the menace should be reversed immediately.

“The National Rescue Movement is concerned about the psychological trauma confronting Nigerians by the slow pace in redesigning the nation’s security architecture to meet the growing insecurity. More so, in the face of huge resources of taxpayers’ money going down the drain by the day, all in the name of upgrading our security apparatus.

“NRM is aware that Kaduna State is less than 150km from Federal Capital Territory and shares borders with the other four States of Nasarawa, Niger, Kano and Plateau. And concerned that since the early hours of Thursday and after days of these abductions no clue as to where this large number of children are kept and or fully rescued.

“This is a constitutional democracy that must be responsive and be ready to give answers to questions coming from every concerned citizen. We hope the Government will not dwell more on rhetoric that will make the family members of the abducted children wait for so long as it did in the case of Chibok and Dapchi girls and others.”