…as NASS rejects bandit negotiations
President Tinubu on Wednesday declared a nationwide security emergency, ordering the army, police, and intelligence services to expand recruitment and deploy thousands of additional personnel immediately.
He also urged the National Assembly to initiate the process of legalizing state police to tackle the escalating wave of kidnappings and terrorist attacks across the country in the past week.
But in a rare departure from the usual solidarity with the executive, several Senators and House of Representatives members criticized the Federal Government for negotiating with bandits for the release of hostages seized in separate attacks in Kwara and Kebbi States.
The lawmakers demanded a halt to the negotiation with the terrorists and punishment for the official who ordered the withdrawal of troops from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, where 24 students were kidnapped on November 17.
The bandits also stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Agwara LGA of Niger State, abducting over 300 pupils and 12 teachers just four days after 24 schoolgirls were taken from GGCSS.
During the Kebbi attack, the vice principal, Hasan Makuku, was shot dead, while the principal was injured. About 50 girls later escaped, but the rest are still with their captors.
Another gang invaded a CAC church in Kwara State, killing at least two worshippers and abducting 38 people. The victims were released on Sunday, while the students were freed on Tuesday.
The abductions resulted in the closure of scores of schools in Kebbi, Bauchi, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau, Niger, Katsina, and Kwara States.
The Federal Government also ordered the closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges across the country.
The Presidency had defended the resort to negotiation with the bandits, noting that this was done to ensure the safety of the victims.
The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed speculation that a ransom was paid for the release of the hostages.
He said the security agencies decided not to engage the bandits at their hideout because the victims were being used as a shield.
“What sometimes restrains them from going after them is the risk of collateral damage. They go about abducting our people, and they use them as a shield so they will not be attacked.
“So, they don’t just want to be attacking them. They need to be sure that they are not using our people as a kind of shield,” he stated