The senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Senator Buhari Abdulfatai, has called on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the families of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State, saying they will need sustained support to recover from the physical and emotional impact of their ordeal following their rescue.
This comes after Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, received the rescued kidnapped pupils, teachers and other victims following their release, bringing an end to weeks of uncertainty and anxiety for their families and the wider community.
Senator Abdulfatai, in acknowledgement of the trauma faced by the school children, appealed to the Federal Government to provide rehabilitation and support for the abducted children and their families following their ordeal.
“When the governor was receiving them today, he assured them that he’s going to do a lot for the families. I will also take it up in my Senate tomorrow and appeal to the Federal Government—which I knew they were going to do, that’s their material section—to rehabilitate all the families and then the children. It is the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs that does that. We are going to appeal, and I’m sure they are already ready for the job.”
Speaking on the rescue operation, Senator Abdulfatai credited the successful outcome to coordinated efforts by the military and other security agencies. He said strategic road blockades, surveillance and collaboration among security operatives prevented the kidnappers from escaping, while urging Nigerians to support security agencies by promptly reporting suspicious activities.
“If that road had been free and the military didn’t block it, they would have gone. That’s where I give kudos to our military officers, all of them. There was what is called collaboration among them.”
“The most important thing is we should learn how to give information to the authorities. See it, say it, and sort it. In Nigeria, we see it and keep quiet. We need to learn that reorientation to try and help the system,” he urged.
On preventing a recurrence of school abductions, Senator Abdulfatai said the affected community had been largely deserted because the school was vulnerable to attacks. He called for the reconstruction of the school with perimeter fencing and a police post, and reiterated his support for state policing to strengthen intelligence gathering, and suggested temporarily relocating pupils to schools in safer towns until security is improved.
“Already, almost everyone has run away from that community because the school is exposed. I’m sure the state government probably will try to rebuild that school, or even the Federal Government. I will appeal to them: we need a school in that area with a fence around it, which is part of the school initiative, and then we’ll get a police post. That’s the reason why, personally, I believe in state police. Because with state police, there will be more information between the community and the police, and they will be able to navigate in case—because intelligence gathering is very, very important.
“The immediate term, one of the few suggestions I will make to the authority is how to redistribute those keys into the primary school inside town, pending the time we solve the problem of the school,” he said.
The senator also backed a comprehensive Senate review of the abduction, saying lawmakers have a responsibility to investigate what happened, identify security lapses and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents. He added that lessons from the rescue operation could strengthen responses to future kidnappings.
“We are oversight, and then we will do that as well. We elected you to represent the people, and the people are the ultimate powers in this country. So, they need to know what happened, what are the correct questions to ask, how can we prevent this from happening again, and what oversights can the Senate exercise over this? That’s the fundamental question.
“We need to know what really happened. And I said, look, we will do that, and then we will investigate it. And then during the investigation, we’ll be able to use it to learn against tomorrow,” he added.
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