KGSG Confirms Rescue of 8 Remaining Kidnapped CUSTECH Students »

…Express administration’s drive to recalibrate security architecture, pay uncompromising attention to Safe School Initiative.

The Government of Kogi state have confirmed the rescue of the remaining 8 kidnapped students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, while the state Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo directed full support towards the recovery of the students and their parents.

This was made known in a Press statement signed on Sunday by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo who assured that modalities were being put in place to make Kogi safer for all and also expressed the administration’s drive to recalibrate security architecture and pay uncompromising attention to Safe School Initiative.

Fanwo said the Government of Kogi State expresses profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the mobilization of resources to ensure the rescue of the kidnapped students while the government also thanked the National Security Adviser immensely for his commitment to the release of the students and the general security of the State.

According to him the government was also grateful to 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 that put in their best as well as the Pilots, did a wonderful job to support the state in reuniting the kidnapped students with their families. 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.

“Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo also expresses immense gratitude to his Kwara State counterpart, Governor 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. The Kwara State Governor showed the reason he is effectively leading the Nigerian Governors Forum. His actions have also reinforced the Kogi/Kwara cooperation and unity of purpose.” Fanwo added.

The Commissioner mentioned that as the State with the lowest out of school children in the North, structures have been put in place to keep the schools safe to ensure every child is not deprived of his or her right to education.

He noted that Kogi state has domesticated the Child Rights Act and will defend the right of children to quality education asserting that in the 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”.
The Commissioner urged the citizens to always volunteer intelligence to security agencies to enable them to prevent crime which he noted was safer, cheaper and better for us all while alluding that everyone must come together to defeat banditry, kidnapping and any form of criminality in our society.