PARENTS and colleagues of 39 students kidnapped from Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State, have accused the government of being silent after the abduction.
The group of protesters said this during a press conference in Kaduna on Monday, stating that nothing had been heard from the government 12 days after the kidnap incident.
Chairman and secretary of forum of parents Kambai Sam and Friday Sanni said parents of the kidnapped students had been traumatised by the incident.
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On his part, Sam said not one of the 39 kidnapped students had been rescued.
“We have put our trust in the government and school authorities to rescue the students in good time and safely, but that has not happened.
“It is now 12 days since the incident happened and we as parents have not received any positive message from either the school management, the Minister of Environment under whose ministry the school is or the Kaduna State government under whose territorial jurisdiction the school is located,” said Sam.
He added that the parents were calling the attention of the government at state and federal levels and all stakeholders involved to act with dispatch to ensure immediate and safe release of the kidnapped children.
However, the Nigeria police have said the force and the Kaduna State government were not silent over the abduction.
Kaduna police spokesperson Muhammad Jalige told The ICIR in a telephone interview that efforts were being put in place to ensure the release of the abducted students.
He noted that the state police had engaged the worried parents and assured them that the government was doing its best to ensure their safe release.
“When we heard that some parents and students want to protest, we went there, engaged them and assured them that the government is not silent about it, and is doing everything to ensure the release of the students. They have all gone home now,” Jalige said.
It could be recalled that armed criminals breached the perimeter fence of the College of Forestry in Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State and kidnapped 39 students on Thursday, March 11.
Following their kidnap, the criminal elements have demanded N500 million ransom from the government and parents of their victims.
In a viral video, one of the students who identified himself as Abubakar Yakubu pleaded with the government to rescue them, adding that they had been severely beaten by their kidnappers.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94