***Pledges to recalibrate security architecture with emphasis on Safe School Initiative
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
KOGI State Government has announce the rescue of the remaining eight students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, abducted on Thursday May 9.
Mr Kingsley Femi Fanwo, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Lokoja, had earlier announced the rescue of a total of 21 students and death of two others.
According to the Commissioner, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has directed full support towards the recovery of the rescued students and their parents, while modalities are being put in place to make Kogi State safer for all.
The State Government used the occasion of the rescue of the students to expresses profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the mobilization of resources to ensure the rescue of the kidnapped students.
Kogi government thanked the National Security Adviser (NSA) and Security Chiefs as well as the Director-General, DSS; Inspector General of Police (IGP) for their commitment to the release of the students and the general security of the State.
The State Government also commended the Kogi State Command of all the security agencies, Police, DSS, NSCDC and “our local hunters are also highly appreciated for their efforts towards this feat.”
According to the statement, Governor Ododo also expressed gratitude to his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahmam AbdulRazak for his personal commitment, cooperation and support towards the success of the operation that led to the rescue of the remaining kidnapped students.
He said that Governor AbdulRahmam AbdulRazak had shown capacity and exhibited the force behind his effective leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum adding, “His actions have also reinforced the Kogi-Kwara cooperation and unity of purpose.”
He said, “Now that the remaining students have been rescued, our administration will continue the drive to recalibrate our security architecture and pay an uncompromising attention to the Safe School Initiative.
“As the State with the lowest out of school children in the North, we have put structures in place to keep our schools safe to ensure every child is not deprived of his or her 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 pay the registration fees for our students to write all internal and external examinations with a budgetary allocation that is way above the UNESCO benchmark for education.
“We do all of these to educate our children and make them responsible contributors to the economy of Nigeria”, he said.
The Governor urged Kogi citizens to always volunteer intelligence to security agencies to enable them to prevent crime saying that it was safer, cheaper and better for us all.
He said, “All of us must come together to defeat banditry, kidnapping and any form of criminality in our society.” (Ends)