Metro
Bandits Release 75 Abducted Zamfara Pupils
The 75 pupils of Government Day Secondary School, Kaya, in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State who were abducted on September 1, 2021, have regained their freedom.
The Nigerian Television Authority broke the news via its verified Facebook page overnight.
Nigerian Police had reported that gunmen abducted more than 70 students in the country’s northwest state of Zamfara.
Zamfara State Police spokesman, Mohammed Shehu, had said in a statement that a large group of attackers stormed the Government Day Secondary School in the remote village of Kaya that Wednesday morning, seizing the pupils. He had given the number of seized children as 73.
“The abduction followed the invasion of the school by large numbers of armed bandits,” he had stated.
Shehu said that Police rescue teams were working with the military to secure the release of the pupils.
The bandits later returned five of the pupils within 24 hours.
A former councilor of Kaya ward, Yahaya Kaya, said that his niece was among those released by the bandits; adding that the five freed pupils had been returned to their hometown of Kaya.
It is not yet clear if any ransom was paid before the pupils were released.
In reaction to the abduction, UNICEF, on September 3, said it was horrified by yet another attack on an educational institution in Nigeria. Following the abduction, the Zamfara State Government had ordered the immediate de-boarding of boarding facilities in 30 schools.
The UN agency, in a Press release distributed by the APO Group, stated, “Of the abducted students, 23 students escaped and returned home – two of them with bullet wounds. The abducted students are aged between 14 and 19.”
“We strongly condemn this attack, which has happened just a few days after kidnapped students of a school in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, were freed,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria. “We call on the authorities to take expedited action to rescue these students and reunite them with their families.”
“We reiterate that attacks on schools and abduction of learners are a gross violation of children’s rights, and a horrific experience for children to go through – one which could have long-lasting effects on their mental health and overall well-being,” said Peter Hawkins.
“Schools must be safe; no child should experience any harm because they went to school, and no parent should come to grief for sending their children to learn,” said Hawkins.
The Punch
Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and other emergency responders, on Saturday, combated an industrial fire outbreak at Mega Plastics Company located at No.4, Ilupeju Bypass beside Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Ilupeju area of Lagos.
A statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Traffic Officer, Adebayo Taofiq, quoted the officer on ground, as Ayo Olaosebikan, as confirming that the rescue team arrived at the scene of the industrial fire outbreak around 6:30am before other emergency responders were contacted.
“Immediately we arrived at the scene of the industrial fire, we quickly informed other emergency responders particularly the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services and the Nigerian Police,” Olaosebikan was quoted as saying.
While the cause of industrial fire could not be immediately ascertained, priliminary investigation revealed that the storage and factory section of the petrochemical company were seriously affected by the fire outbreak.
Other Emergency responders on ground were the Federal/State Fire Services, Police and LASEMA Response Unit.
No injury or death was recorded as at the time of filing the report.
By Eric Elezuo
The Director, Public Affairs, National Office, West African Examination Council (WAEC), Mrs. Moyosola Adesina, has disclosed that the exam body is not in any way exempted by the after effects of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the society, stressing that it has at one time or another being a victim of the menace, but has always found a way to get free of the entanglement.
The WAEC image maker, who crowned the NAOSNP Image Maker of Year (government agencies) award, made the disclosure this while participating as a panelist at the 2023 National Security Conference of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) held at the Civic Centre Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday.
Adesina harped that the issue of small arms and light weapons in the hands of non state actors is not only worrisome, but that time has come when a wholistic approach is applied to reduce the menace to the barest minimum, and possibly eliminate it completely.
She said that the examination body, which has put everything in place to ensure that exams are not disrupted and also that ease is brought in to assist in gaining access to WAEC materials and services, is bothered with the insecurity situation as sometimes, hoodlums, armed and ready to pounce, do ambush and highjack officials, equipment and materials of the exam body thereby putting a clog in the conduct of exams.
“Each time our question papers are snatched or officials attacked, it affects not only examinations in Nigeria, but the entire five member countries. It also affects the finances of the council and consumes time needed for other ventures as there will be complete re-setting of the exam questions and other matters arising. So the issue of insecurity is very challenging,” she said.
She also clarified the issue of WAEC vindictiveness, saying that the body is only interested in testing the candidate’s ability, and awards whatever one is able to score in the examination.
“WAEC doesn’t victimized anyone, but only out to conduct the exams and award scores as merited. We are not a vindictive organisation, but an organisation saddled with the responsibility of helping candidates attain their full potential through their own hard work,” she said.
While lauding the efforts of security operatives in combating crimes and criminals, Adesina also informed that that WAEC certificates are now digitalis and easy to come by as anyone can log into the site and easily download his.
“This is one of many innovations of WAEC to make life easy for all candidates, in the past, present and future,” Adesina concluded.
Performing double functions on the day, Mrs Adesina also represented the Head of National Office, Mr. Patrick Areghan, who bagged the NAOSNP Man of the Year award (Education).
WAEC is a sub-regional examination body comprising Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
By Eric Elezuo
A security expect and Chief Executive Officer, Safety Signatures Limited, Dr. Cynthia Gregg, has identified the need for individuals to have intimidate and dominion over their fellow man as one of the reasons for the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Nigerian Civil space, thereby resulting in insecurity and unsafe habitation.
Gregg made the observation while participating as a panelist during the panel session of the 2023 National Security Conference of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), on Thursday at the Civic Centre, Lagos.
The security practitioner noted that the issue of small arms and light weapons in the hands of non state actors, has become a major concern to all and sundry as killings abound, affecting both men in uniform and their civilian counterparts in the country today.
“We have noticed that in our society today, the person who carries the weapon is the most feared, and so because everyone wants to be feared, wants to dominate and intimidate the other person, they go to any length to acquire illegal weapons. That explains why when a robber encounters someone, the first thing they do is brandish a weapon or unleash some brutality to subdue their victim. It is the norm, unfortunately,” she said.
She further called on the public to encourage and help the law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties by saying something when they see something, and advocated community engagement to deal with challenges of proliferation of lethal weapons in the hands of non state actors.
Again, Gregg lauded the efforts of NAOSNP in using its platform to propagate safety and security through fruitful engagements with relevant institutions and reportage of credible security stories as well as advocacy through its enviable conferences.
