…..Orders Total Security Cordon On Forests In Kwara, Niger, Kebbi
…Bandits strike in Kwara again, abduct pregnant woman, 10 others
President Bola Tinubu has welcomed the release of the 24 schoolgirls abducted by terrorists in Maga, Kebbi State, last Monday.
Salient Times reported that terrorists struck the school at dawn on November 17 and abducted the girls, moments after a military detachment left the premises.
The Kebbi incident triggered other copycat kidnappings in Eruku, Kwara State, and Papiri, Niger State.
It was reported that all 38 kidnapped victims in Eruku were freed on Sunday.
On the same day, the Niger State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria said 50 of the missing students of the Catholic school in Niger had been found in their parents’ homes.
Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson to the President, said that Tinubu has applauded the security agents for their efforts in securing freedom for all the victims taken away by the terrorists.
He further tasked the security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining students still being held captive.
“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must put as a matter of urgency more boots on the ground in the vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping,” Tinubu said, according to Bayo Onanuga.
“My government will offer all the assistance needed to achieve this,” President Tinubu said.
Tinubu Orders Total Security Cordon On Forests In Kwara, Niger, Kebbi
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State following recent kidnappings and terrorist activities.
The President also directed the Air Force to expand its air surveillance across the innermost parts of the forests in Kwara State, where it is believed the terrorists are hiding.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, disclosed this on Tuesday on his X handle.
He said the presidential directive also applies to the Kebbi and Niger States axis, where many people are expected to be rescued.
According to him, the 24-hour air surveillance is to be maintained to complement the boots on the ground.
“Communities are also urged to provide timely information about strange movements and activities to aid the work of the security forces,” he said.
Terrorists attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, abducting more that 300 school children and staff in a resurgence of the mass kidnappings that have long harrowed Africa’s most populous country.
The same week, 25 schoolgirls were taken from the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, Danko Wasagu Local Government Area in Kebbi State, and 38 worshippers were seized from a church in Eruku in Kwara State.
At least 50 taken from St Mary’s Catholic school managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers are still being held.
Nigeria’s first high-profile mas kidnapping was that of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, when Boko Haram forced 276 girls from their dormitories in the country’s northeast.
More than a decade later, about 90 of those girls are still missing.
Nigeria suffers from a persistent security crisis fuelled by jihadist attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill people, and kidnap for ransom.
Bandits strike in Kwara again, abduct pregnant woman, 10 others
Meanwhile, Armed bandits, numbering more than 20, have attacked Isapa community, near Eruku community, in the same Ekiti local government area of Kwara State, abducting at least 11 residents, including a pregnant woman.
This is coming two days after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the rescue of the 38 worshippers who were abducted in a bandit attack on CAC Oke-Isegun in Eruku, Kwara State which also led to the death of three people.
Salient Times gathered that the attack occurred around 6:00 p.m. on Monday, when armed bandits stormed the community with a large herd of cattle, firing shots indiscriminately.
An elderly woman was reportedly hit by a stray bullet during the incident.
A community leader, who confirmed the incident under anonymity, said 11 people were abducted, with seven victims belonging to the same family.
The kidnapped victims include a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children.
Identities of the abducted individuals have been identified as: Talatu Kabiru (Female, 20), Magaji (Male, 6), Kande (Female, 5), Hadiza (Female, 10), Mariam (Female, 6), Saima (Female, 5), A house wife, Habibat, A housewife, Fatima Yusufu, A pregnant woman, Sarah Sunday (Female, 22), Lami Fidelis (Female, 23, nursing mother), Haja Na Allah (Nursing mother)
Eyewitness accounts had it that the attackers moved through parts of the town, leaving bullet holes in walls and doors.
Expended AK-47 shells were found scattered across the community after the gunmen fled.
Police authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
