Stop Kidnapping School Children, Minister Pleads With Bandits

Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has pleaded
with bandits to stop kidnapping school children as he begged them
to free the remaining abducted students under their custody.

He made the appeal on Tuesday when he heard that three more
abducted students of the Bethel Baptist Secondary school in Kaduna
State had been found.

Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, Nwajiuba
said the federal government was doing all it could to ensure that
those in captivity were all rescued.

“I am elated. This is the kind of news I want to be hearing
every day. They should please return our children to us. I am so
happy for these parents.

‘I was in Katsina to meet with these ex-servicemen who are
flying that area. I also want to encourage our military. They are
doing tremendous work in combing the areas and tackling these
bandits.

“I am appealing to the bandits and whoever talks to them to
leave our schools alone. We already have many issues from Kagara to
Jingali to Jangebe and all the other places they have gone to just
to disrupt schooling activities for our children.

“It is unprecedented and the atmosphere of insecurity that they
cause parents is a big setback for us in the school agenda. From
the days of Chibok, because all of these started from the Chibok
era, once you have people who are outside government holding arms,
they can do anything at any time.

“From there, they went to Buni-Yadi and from there, they are now
parading all these places now. It has been seven, eight years now
of constantly dealing with this matter. I think they are disrupting
education, particularly in the North where we have huge challenges
that are culturally and geo-spatially induced.

“So, I am really glad to have these three back and I think we
should have all of them back. Please, any kind of help we can get.
I appeal to parents to please bear with us.

“The federal government is doing as much as we can possibly do.
I know it is disheartening how you feel and I am appealing as one
of the ministers you have put in a government that we take
responsibility and we are doing the most we can on this
matter.”

Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has pleaded
with bandits to stop kidnapping school children as he begged them
to free the remaining abducted students under their custody.

He made the appeal on Tuesday when he heard that three more
abducted students of the Bethel Baptist Secondary school in Kaduna
State had been found.

Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, Nwajiuba
said the federal government was doing all it could to ensure that
those in captivity were all rescued.

“I am elated. This is the kind of news I want to be hearing
every day. They should please return our children to us. I am so
happy for these parents.

‘I was in Katsina to meet with these ex-servicemen who are
flying that area. I also want to encourage our military. They are
doing tremendous work in combing the areas and tackling these
bandits.

“I am appealing to the bandits and whoever talks to them to
leave our schools alone. We already have many issues from Kagara to
Jingali to Jangebe and all the other places they have gone to just
to disrupt schooling activities for our children.

“It is unprecedented and the atmosphere of insecurity that they
cause parents is a big setback for us in the school agenda. From
the days of Chibok, because all of these started from the Chibok
era, once you have people who are outside government holding arms,
they can do anything at any time.

“From there, they went to Buni-Yadi and from there, they are now
parading all these places now. It has been seven, eight years now
of constantly dealing with this matter. I think they are disrupting
education, particularly in the North where we have huge challenges
that are culturally and geo-spatially induced.

“So, I am really glad to have these three back and I think we
should have all of them back. Please, any kind of help we can get.
I appeal to parents to please bear with us.

“The federal government is doing as much as we can possibly do.
I know it is disheartening how you feel and I am appealing as one
of the ministers you have put in a government that we take
responsibility and we are doing the most we can on this
matter.”