By Caleb Ishaya
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged the federal government to immediately declare a state of emergency on insecurity, following another mass abduction of schoolchildren in Niger State.
Atiku, reacting to yesterday’s attack on St Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, warned that spiraling kidnappings across the country demand urgent and extraordinary action.
“Not again. This is truly heartbreaking. How many more lives must be shattered before decisive action is taken? It is not too late for government to finally declare a state of emergency on insecurity and confront this menace with the urgency it deserves,” the former vice president wrote on X.
Gunmen reportedly invaded a Catholic-owned school in the early hours yesterday, arriving in large numbers on more than 60 motorcycles and accompanied by a van before whisking away an unspecified number of students.
The Niger incident is the most recent in a growing wave of school kidnappings. It occurred less than a week after bandits abducted 26 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State — an attack that also claimed the life of the Vice Principal, Hassan Makuku, who attempted to resist the gunmen.
The incident also followed the abduction of at least 30 worshippers during a deadly attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, where three people were killed.
In his reaction to the previous mass abduction of students, President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks and commiserated with the families of the victims.
The president also instructed Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit the victims.
