The Northern Governors Forum and Senate President, Ahmad Lawan have condemned Friday’s abduction of 317 schoolgirls in Jangebe, Zamfara.
The condemnations are contained in separate statements signed on behalf of the Forum by the governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham and Lawan by his Special Adviser on Media Ola Awoniyi on Friday.
According to the Forum chairman and governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, the spate of abductions in schools in the region was grossly unacceptable.
He said strong measures must be taken to put an end to the menace before it escalated into a monster that would inhibit educational pursuits and national aspirations.
Lalong expressed concerns that the new development was coming when the abduction of school children in Kagara, Niger State, was still being addressed, saying the pattern called for serious concerns among all Nigerians.
“As northern governors, we are deeply saddened by these embarrassing and unfortunate attacks on our children who are in schools to seek knowledge and build capacity to impact positively on the nation and to create a better society.
“The assault on schools where innocent and harmless students are targeted should not be condoned in any way because it has the tendency to set the nation back to ignorance and more poverty.
“The northern part of the country in particular is more educationally disadvantaged and cannot afford to have these disruptions. Enough is enough,’’ he said.
The chairman tasked security agencies to use every asset at their disposal to rescue the children and bring those behind the act to justice.
Gov. Lalong also urged Nigerians to support the security agencies and governments with credible information that could lead to swift resolution of the situation.
The governor empathised with the families of the abducted school children, the people and the government of Zamfara, assuring them of the support of the Forum in tackling the problem.
Similarly, Lawan expressed sadness and outrage over the abduction, adding that the incident happened while efforts were still being made to rescue those abducted a week ago at another secondary school in Kagara, Niger State.
He said the recurrent attacks on schools and other acts of banditry call for intense soul searching on how the nation arrived at this sorry pass and how to cage the monster of violent crimes in Nigeria.
Lawan expressed his sympathy for the abducted schoolgirls and urged the authorities at all levels to work together to ensure their immediate rescue.
The Senate President also reiterated his call on the state authorities to accord priority to securing schools and other locations now seen as soft targets by savage criminals.
NAN
