…Urge FG to seeks external collaborations as a global practice
By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna
Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation has joined the rest of the world in condemning in its entirety, the recent wave of abduction of school children in Northern Nigeria.
A release in Kaduna on Thursday by the foundation laments that Kidnapping has fast became the most intractable violent crime in the northern part of the country currently.
Signed by the foundation’s MD/CEO Engr. Abubakar Gambo Umar, the body regretted that scores of school children have recently been kidnapped in various parts of the country. “Several hundreds of students have been abducted from schools in Northern Nigeria, highlighting a worrying development in the country’s kidnaps for ransom crises.
These crimes, targeting schools have become endemic, heightening fear for the welfare of students, and that already, the low level of school enrolment in the region may suffer further”, it stated.
He noted that kidnapping has led to the loss of uncountable lives and crippling of economic activities in the affected parts of the country, with accompanying effects on overall GDP.
“To this end, we are calling on the government and citizens at all levels to treat kidnappings and banditry as issues of serious national security concern. No effort or energy is too much to be deployed towards combating the menace.
“The Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation is calling for a more concerted action against kidnapping and banditry. We suggest changes in strategies, policies and most importantly actionable intelligence, such that adequate concentration, resources and manpower are channelled into the war against menace of banditry and kidnappings. “The government may need to seriously consider the role of traditional institutions in the maintenance of law and order by going back to the pre 1976 era. “We should not shy away from seeking collaborations and external assistance, as is the global practice. Joint deployments with neighbouring countries like Niger, Chad and Cameroun has become necessary in view of the situation assuming international dimensions.
“The problem of insecurity has also brought to fore the need for the authorities to consider the options of massively recruiting into the police and the military, to address personnel shortfalls.These calls are necessary in view of the increasingly brazen manner that these crimes are perpetrated”, it noted.
