The abduction of schoolchildren

SINCE the abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram terrorists on April 14, 2014, all manners of outlaws in the country have literally had a field day breaching the security of school premises of their choice and ‘carting away’ students. Not even the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, which promised enhanced security among its three cardinal goals, was able to rein in the deadly and grave anti-social behaviour. If anything, this aspect of insecurity, like many others, has worsened under Buhari’s watch. Somehow, his military background and experience have in no way rubbed off positively on the security situation in the land.

There have been about five major incidents of mass kidnapping of students on their school grounds, apart from the Chibok incident that happened during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. One of them was the Kankara incident that occurred in the president’s ‘backyard’ and literally under his nose while he was on a short vacation in his home state of Katsina on December 11, 2020. The latest incident was the abduction of 136 students of Salihu Tanko Islamic School, Tegina, in Rafi Local Government of Niger State on Sunday, May 27. Some of the students seized by the gunmen are of impressionable ages. The initial report was that about 200 students of the school were kidnapped by the bandits but the deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Mohammed Ketso, during his recent update on the incident at the Government House, Minna, confirmed the number to be 136. However, the veritable issue is not whether the number is 200 or 136,  as two or even one is a significant number when human life is involved. But the fact that a similar incident had happened elsewhere in the state not too long ago, and yet the gunmen in the instant case still carried out their dastardly act with relative ease, is really concerning.

The ease with which bandits breach security on the campuses without any form of resistance, even in situations where there had been premonitions or warnings of impending attack, is appalling. Why should schools be this unsafe for children in a sovereign state? Again, how do the bandits/kidnappers get away, despite all the checkpoints by the police, the military and other security agencies that are usually on the roads every few metres? It is rather confounding, too, that the convoy of vehicles ferrying 136 students did not attract the attention of any of the security outfits. Or did the bandits force the students to trek into the bush right from their school premises? There are quite a few things that did not add up. But beyond the seeming mystery of mass human movement outside the radar of the security system is the lackadaisical official disposition to security matters.

Pray, why was security not beefed up in all schools with boarding facilities in the state, especially given its recent experience of a similar incident in Kagara? To be sure, Niger State is not alone: it has an unenviable company in a state like Kaduna where abduction of students happened in quick succession lately without the government taking any preemptive actions. The Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has even vowed not to enter into any negotiations that will culminate in the payment of ransom to criminals, yet his administration does not have any known strategy in place to ensure the release of the victims of kidnappers, or better still, prevent abduction from happening at all. Otherwise, the bandits/abductors would not have struck at Greenfield University, Kaduna, shortly after the state government made the seemingly noble but unrealistic vow. It is important to note that abductions of individuals and payment of ransoms by families and relations of victims to kidnappers are still going on unabated. However, the bandits have added another lucrative dimension to their ignoble endeavour by hitting on soft targets like schools/students to attract local and international attention, which tends to force officials to negotiate with and pay huge ransom to them for the release of victims.

The truth is that these criminals see abduction of students as a veritable source of filthy lucre that enables them to live well and continue to fund their criminal enterprise. And in a situation where the Federal Government has failed in its primary responsibility of securing life and property anywhere in the country, it has become imperative for governments, local and sub-national, as well as school authorities in private and public institutions, to provide adequate security on school grounds. The objective should be to provide adequate civilian security personnel that bear arms that are permitted under the extant laws of the land to defend the integrity of schools, especially the human beings inside them, against violation by malefactors. The feeble resistance they offer or the alarm they raise may be all that is needed to ward off the felons who nobble innocent students from school premises.

Certainly, and very much so in the North, every school with a boarding facility in the country is exposed to the risk of abduction of its students by brigands targeting sizeable ransom payments. Therefore, one of the surest ways to stymie the spate of abduction in schools, in the face of palpable failure by the Federal Government, is proactive actions by the other relevant authorities. The government of Niger State is urged to continue its liaison with the kidnappers to ensure the release of the innocent children, but more importantly, it should put mechanisms in place to forestall a recurrence. The state government should take its destiny in its own hands: this vicious cycle is patently avoidable with or without the Federal Government living up to its responsibility of protecting life and property.

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