The Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Kebbi state governor, Abubakar Bagudu on Saturday vowed that governors and other stakeholders were ready to join the ongoing search operations for the abducted students and staff of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Yauri.
Bagudu spoke during the solidarity visit by local hunters, which also coincided with the sympathy and commiseration visit by Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman , Dr Kayode Fayemi and his Jigawa state counterpart, Abubakar Badaru.
According to him, he will discuss with his colleagues and security agencies in this direction, so as not to jeorpardise the ongoing commendable operations to rescue the abducted students and staff.
“But we will go out there and like I promised, the day we will move out, I will not be in the office because we will join you in the field. Also, other governors will leave their people so that we meet in the field.”
Bagudu said this would be done barring all consequences in the bid to rescue the abductees, adding that it is not weapons that win war but “the will that bad people cannot triumph and we will show that we have enough will power.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies have been doing the best they could with limited resources. But we also need to mobilize, kit ourselves and take on these bandits. Our various scriptures as Muslims and Christians allow us to put our lives at risk in defence of our honour, property and our faiths. In what the bandits are doing, they have challenged all these, so we can’t let them,” he said.
Bagudu asked the hunters to go back and fully mobilize, pending when he gets the necessary clearance from the security agencies, adding “and we will meet in the field.”
The governor maintained governors were not sworn in only to sit down in the office and work.
“What happened in Birnin Yauri should be the last straw. We should follow these bandits wherever they are and take them on.”
The governor of Ekiti and chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr. Kayode Feyemi while commiserating with Bagudu, said he was in the state as representative of Nigerian governors in solidarity with the government and people of the Kebbi state to also commiserate over the unfortunate incident of banditry attack at FGC Yauri.
He commended the effort of the governor in making sure that schools in Kebbi get the necessary protection.
He also acknowledged the effort of the security for putting up a good fight against the bandits at the school.
“We are here in solidarity with our brother, the governor and all the good people of Kebbi on the unfortunate incident in Yauri. We know the fight that security agencies in Yauri have put against the bandits,” he averred.
The governor also charged the local hunters and the vigilantes to go after the bandits, annihilate them and bring back the school children.
“We know as leaders of local hunters you will go fight them in the bush and defeat them. Whatever you can do to make it the last one in Kebbi, please put up the effort,” he charged the hunters.
The NGF Chairman also conveyed the sympathy message of President Muhammad Buhari to people of Kebbi State expressing how deeply concerned he is over the Birnin Yauri incident.
In the same vein, the Jigawa state governor, Badaru Abubakar while commiserating with Bagudu, also expressed delight with success recorded in rescuing some of the students and staff of the school.
Badaru was also happy with the zeal and eagerness demonstrated by the local hunters and the vigilantes to partake in the rescue operation.
He charged them to confront them with all their arsenal until they are no more.
Earlier, the leaders of the local hunters who led their members to Kebbi, told the governor of their readiness to join the fight against the bandits until the school children were rescued.
The leader of the hunters in Gwandu emirate, Hassan Muhammad told governor Bagudu that they were in Government House to show their solidarity with the rescue effort as well as join the security agents in fighting the bandits.
