A peace advocacy group, Coalition for Peace and National Security (CPNS) has condemned yesterday’s bandits’ attack on Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State, where, at least, 600 out of 800 students of the school are reportedly missing.
The group described the action of the bandits against innocent school children as unacceptable, tasking security agencies to immediately swing into action with a view not only to rescuing the missing students but also apprehend the perpetrators and made them face the consequences of their actions.
It also described the development as a sad reminder of the terrorists’ attacks on Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State on the night of April 14, 2014, where 276 girls writing West African Examinations Council (WAEC), were abducted; and another attack on February 19, 2018, at Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State left some students dead and others missing.
In a statement, yesterday by its National Coordinator, Dr Mohammed Maigoro, and National Secretary, Barrister Tunde Funsho, respectively, the Coalition for Peace and National Security said the attack on innocent school children was not only cowardly but also callous and a crime against humanity, prohibited under international humanitarian law.
The group noted with regret that the action of the bandits totally affects Nigeria’s effort towards the enhancement of a child’s education and development.
While commiserating with parents of the children and victims of the incessant killings in the North in particular and the country in general, the coalition called on the bandits to lay down their arms and release those in their custody.
According to the group, the attack on the school was a further confirmation that the security situation in the country was not getting better, hence the need to immediately rejig the nation’s security architecture beginning with the sack of service chiefs.
The coalition commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his avowed commitment to addressing security challenges in the country.
It, however, tasked the president to immediately rejig the security architecture of the country beginning with the sack of service chiefs who it noted, had become exhausted to face the increasingly worsening security situation.
“We received the news of yesterday’s attack on Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State, where at least 600 out of 800 students of the school are reportedly missing with shock.”
This latest action by bandits is a sad reminder of the past similar ones on Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State on the night of April 14, 2014, where 276 girls writing West African Examination Council, WAEC, were abducted and another attack on February 19, 2018, at Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State that left some students dead and others missing.
“This attack on innocent school children is not only cowardly but also callous and a crime against humanity, prohibited under the international humanitarian law.
“We urge the security agencies to immediately swing into action in not only rescuing the missing students but also apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” the group said.
It added: “This latest development is a yet another confirmation that the country is porous without security and given this dad situation, we wish to without any hesitation join the clarion call on our dear President, Muhammadu Buhari, to immediately rejig the nation’s security architecture beginning with the sack of service chiefs who apart from overstaying in office, have become exhausted to face the increasingly worsening security situation of our country.
“There is no indication anywhere that they are capable of turning the tide against terrorists, insurgents, bandits, and kidnappers anymore, given the daily ugly security developments in the country.
“The president should at this moment be more concerned about the security of Nigerians who he swore an oath to protect by listening to the increasing calls by well-meaning Nigerians including the National Assembly that he changes the service chiefs and completely overhaul the security architecture for efficiency.
“We call on him to be more concerned about this than regime protection as everyone has embraced democracy with no one reasoning along that line anymore.
“Many people have been mauled down unjustly with an unquantifiable number of public and private assets destroyed in the past few months and this development should be a thing of great concern to a president that swore a sacred oath to protect his people and the country”, it stressed.
Meanwhile, the Katsina State Police Command, yesterday, confirmed that over 200 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, were rescued from gunmen who attacked the school last Friday night.
The command, however, did not specify the number of students abducted by the bandits.
A statement by the spokesman for the command, SP Gambo Isah, disclosed that a police inspector was injured during attempts to rescue the students.
The statement partly read, “The DPO rescued over 200 students back into the school compound. The Police, Nigerian Army, and Nigerian Air Force are working closely with the school authorities to ascertain the actual number of the missing and/or kidnapped students while search parties are assiduously working with a view to finding and/or rescuing the missing students.
“It will be too early to say at this particular moment the actual number of students that have been kidnapped or missing.”
The incident happened, last Friday night, barely a few hours after President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Daura in his home state of Katsina for a week-long private visit.
Parents of wards have rushed to the school to know the fate of their children while security operatives were seen in strategic locations in the Kankara area of the state.