The remaining eight kidnapped students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Kogi State have regained their freedom.
Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, who made the announcement in a statement on behalf of the Kogi State Government on Sunday, expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the mobilisation of resources to ensure the students’ rescue.
The statement added that Governor Ahmed Ododo has directed full support for the recovery of the students and their parents.
“We also thank the National Security Adviser for his commitment to the release of the students and the general security of the state.
“The Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Director General of DSS, the Inspector General of Police, and all the officers and men of the Armed Forces who put in their best, as well as the pilots, did a wonderful job in supporting us to reunite the kidnapped students with their families.
“The Kogi State Command of all security agencies, including the Police, DSS, NSCDC, and our local hunters, are also highly appreciated for their efforts in achieving this feat,” he stated.
Ododo also thanked his Kwara State counterpart, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, for his support towards the success of the operation that led to the students’ rescue.
“The Kwara State Governor demonstrated effective leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum. His actions have reinforced the Kogi/Kwara cooperation and unity of purpose,” the statement added.
“Now that the remaining students have been rescued, our administration will continue to recalibrate our security architecture and focus on the Safe School Initiative.
“ As the state with the lowest number of out-of-school children in the North, we have put structures in place to keep our schools safe and ensure every child is not deprived of their right to education. Kogi has domesticated the Child Rights Act, and we will defend the right of our children to quality education.
“In Kogi State, education is free up to the secondary school level. We also cover the registration fees for our students to write all internal and external examinations, with a budgetary allocation above the UNESCO benchmark for education. We do all of this to educate our children and make them responsible contributors to the Nigerian economy.
“We urge our citizens to always provide intelligence to security agencies to help prevent crime. This is safer, cheaper, and better for us all. Together, we must defeat banditry, kidnapping, and any form of criminality in our society.”
