Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
As the world celebrates Christmas Day today, 11 out of the 24 students of the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, who were kidnapped by bandits on September 20, remain in captivity.
Also, two corps members who were kidnapped on August 29, 2023, on their way to the National Youth Service Corps Permanent Orientation Camp in Sokoto have yet to regain freedom. They have spent 128 days in captivity. The PUNCH reports that bandits, in large numbers, on September 20, 2023, invaded the off-campus hostels of the FUGUS in Sabon-Gida village very close to the university and abducted 24 female students.
The marauding bandits, who invaded the community around 3 am, shooting indiscriminately, whisked the varsity students into the forest. Despite being engaged in a duel by the military, which responded to a distress call, the bandits succeeded in abducting 24 students.
However, a combined team of the army and other security agents pursued the bandits in the forest in two separate operations and were able to rescue 13 students three days after the incident. At the time of filing this report, the remaining 11 students, who are all females, are still in captivity and there is every possibility that they will spend their Christmas Day in the forest.
Reacting to the demonstration by the parents, the Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Munnir Haidara, told The PUNCH that the state government, under the leadership of Governor Dauda Lawal, was doing its best to tackle insecurity.
“Necessary measures are currently being taken by the state government to rescue the abducted students. It is not proper for me to disclose the issue to the media. The state government is quite aware of the traumatic situation for both the parents and the abducted students. I want to sympathise with the students and their parents over this sad incident but I am assuring them that something is being done to get the students rescued by the grace of God.”
Also, The PUNCH reports that gunmen kidnapped the eight prospective corps members in Zamfara, while they were on their way from Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, to the NYSC Orientation Camp in Sokoto. While six of the corps members have so far been released – three on the 18th of September, one on the 22nd of October, and two others on the 8th of December – two of the corps members remain in captivity to this day.
In the past eight years, records show that a total of 61 corps members have been kidnapped, with 18 of those occurring between March 2022 and August 2023.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, has repeatedly stated that one of his five-point policy thrusts was to “improve the security and welfare of corps members and staff”. As of the time of filing this report, the NYSC had yet to make any statements detailing any attempts to rescue the rest of the abducted corps members on or before the New Year.
Efforts to get comments from the NYSC spokesperson, Eddy Megwa, on progress made so far, proved abortive on Sunday, as he told our correspondent to visit the office to make any inquiries regarding the issue.
