Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has assured residents that the abducted schoolchildren and teachers in the state will be rescued safely, stressing that the government is deploying every available resource to secure their release.
The governor gave the assurance on Tuesday while addressing social media influencer VeryDarkMan and a group of protesters at the Oyo State Government House, amid growing public concern over the fate of the victims who have spent more than a month in captivity.
Makinde said he was personally pained by the incident, noting that the victims, mostly nursery and primary school pupils, were particularly vulnerable.
“I am also distressed because I have children of my own. I’m also distressed with what has happened to our children. It has been one month, just one month and one day already,” he said.
The governor explained that he could not reveal details of the ongoing rescue efforts because of the sensitive nature of the operation but maintained that security agencies were working relentlessly to secure the victims’ freedom.
“Because of the nature of the security situation that is involved, I cannot divulge a lot of information,” he stated.
Describing the abduction as unprecedented, Makinde said it marked a disturbing shift in criminal tactics, as nursery and primary school children had rarely been targeted in such circumstances.
“This is the first time anywhere in Nigeria that they have abducted nursery and primary school children. These are children that cannot even run or do anything for themselves. So, the operation to rescue them is a special type of operation,” he said.
He further assured residents that the government was taking every precaution to ensure the children were rescued unharmed.
“I don’t want to lose any of those children. I give you the assurance that I, as the governor, by God’s grace, will bring out those children,” Makinde said.
The governor also disclosed that the state had established communication with the abductors, describing the move as an extraordinary step taken in the interest of saving lives.
“If governments are negotiating with bandits, it means portraying great sovereignty to the bandits. In this special situation, for those children alive, we have to bear the burden,” he said.
Makinde expressed confidence that the victims would be rescued and pledged to implement measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
“Once the children are out, I give you the assurance that it will not occur again,” he added.
