Insecurity: See What Atiku Is Telling Buhari Govt To Do In Schools

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called for an end to the attacks on Nigeria’s citadels of learning, saying darkness awaits the country if nothing is done.

The call came after an unspecified number of students were kidnapped from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, on Monday.

He stated that “enough is enough” and that it was time for governments at all levels to declare a state of emergency, and take proactive steps to protect schools in the country.

According to Abubakar, the abduction of students marks both an unacceptable escalation and an expansion of the menace, noting that the government must not only ensure that the abducted youths are rescued but more importantly, put in measures to prevent future reoccurrences.

Speaking a statement on Tuesday, the former Vice President said the spate of insurgency in the country must not be allowed to become a new normal, noting that it was time for the nation to face the reality that it has an emergency at hand.

He maintained that the recent incidents of abduction of students were a catastrophe that must be decisively dealt with before it snowballs into an existential crisis.

His words: “We must stop treating these acts of criminality with kid gloves. Enough is enough! There must be the safety of lives and property in our citadels of learning because, without it, there would be a loss of confidence in the sector, which will result in low enrolment rates in a country that is amongst the highest statistically for out-of-school children.

“This is all the more reason why I have maintained in the past that impunity must give way to punitive measures. When criminals profit from their criminality, crime will increase.

“The only response from all governments in Nigeria, to acts of abduction, kidnapping and unlawful detention of persons, ought to be to bring the full weight of the law on the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.”

“Once these criminals have clarity on what awaits them should they toe such evil paths, then their audacity to commit evil will be weakened, and gradually, this ugly chapter in our national life will become a thing of the past.”

He called for a state of emergency to be declared on the education sector, and for 24 hours armed guards to be deployed to all the schools in the affected states, just like he did on Monday, March 15, 2021.

“Yes, it is an expensive venture. Nevertheless, we must accept that whatever we invest in preserving the lives of Nigeria’s youth is worth the price, as nothing is, or can be more valuable to us than our youths, who will take up the baton after we are gone,” he added.

Ripples Nigeria on Monday reported that armed bandits killed two more abducted students of Greenfield University, in Kaduna.

This was after the hoodlums, last Friday, killed three students who were also abducted from the same university and dumped their bodies at Kwanan Bature village, near the university campus.