The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, also decried the worsening state of insecurity in the country in a statement by his Media Office in Abuja on Wednesday, expressing concern that terrorist and bandit attacks are crippling the education sector.
The former Vice President called for the declaration of emergency on security in Nigeria. He described the latest attack on the Kogi school as a direct threat to education and a colossal national embarrassment that demands urgent and drastic action.
“It is high time the federal government declared a state of emergency to empower commanders with more freedom to act decisively and proactively with these monsters in the country.
“I am not in any way calling for the removal of elected officials, but rather advocating for commanders to have freer hand to protect their battlefield decisions from political interference,” Atiku said.
‘False alarms’ over school abductions
Meanwhile, there has been a growing wave of false alarms in the wake of recent mass abductions of students and teachers in Oyo and Borno states.
The police have dismissed some reports of attacks on schools as false and misleading after carrying out investigations, with some individuals allegedly responsible for spreading the claims arrested. The Force also urged the public to verify information through official channels before sharing it.
One of the latest incidents occurred in Niger State, where the police on Wednesday debunked reports that hoodlums attacked schools in Bosso, Kpakungu, Sabon-Wuse and Lambata communities.
In a statement, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said officers visited all the schools mentioned in the reports and found no evidence of an attack.
The police described the claims as unfounded and warned against the spread of misinformation that could create panic among residents and disrupt educational activities.
‘Shut vulnerable schools or strengthen security around them’
A retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Adisa Bolanta, in a chat with some newsmen, said the growing trend of attacks on educational institutions calls for urgent measures to safeguard schools, particularly those located in vulnerable areas.
“As we have seen from the trend now, there should be emphasis on the protection of schools, especially those close to the fringes of where these things are happening. Government should find a way of either closing some of them temporarily or strengthening security around them,” he said.
He also called for improved security generally, saying the police should be better equipped to respond to emergencies while the military should be provided with the necessary tools to tackle insecurity.
“Above all, there should be a carrot-and-stick approach. My own idea of the carrot is not giving amnesty to criminals but emphasising a sound economy and the revival of businesses,” he said.
He said economic reforms capable of creating jobs and reducing poverty are critical to addressing the root causes of insecurity.
“Once the economy is flourishing, there will be employment and people will be less interested in kidnapping, hijacking and other criminal activities. Many of these things are happening because people are jobless,” he said.
The retired police chief also dismissed the concept of “repentant bandits,” insisting that criminals should not be rewarded under any guise.
“There are no repentant bandits. A bandit is a criminal, just like an armed robber. If you say an armed robber is repentant and should be released, then you might as well open the prisons and let everybody go,” he said.
On the country’s security architecture, Bolanta stressed the need to strengthen both the military and the police.
