President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said no child should be abducted from the safety of a classroom as he expressed concern over the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The President, in a statement issued on Monday, said he shared the pain and anxiety of the affected families and assured them that efforts were underway to secure the safe return of the victims.
Tinubu disclosed that he had approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in collaboration with the Oyo State Government following the visit of a high-level Federal Government delegation to the Esiele and Yawota communities affected by the incident.
He also ordered the deployment of a specialised security unit equipped with advanced rescue capabilities to strengthen ongoing efforts to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers.
According to the President, the request by the affected communities for the establishment of a military base in the area is receiving urgent attention.
Tinubu said the Federal Government’s rescue operation would be intelligence-driven, carefully coordinated and sustained, adding that all lawful security measures would be deployed to ensure the safe return of the victims.
He wrote partly, “At my direction, following the visit of a high-level Federal Government delegation that I sent to the Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, I have approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in collaboration with the Oyo State Government.
“I have also directed the deployment of a specialised security unit with advanced rescue capabilities to intensify efforts to secure the safe return of the abducted pupils and teachers.
“The communities’ request for the establishment of a military base in the area is receiving urgent consideration.
“I share the pain and anxiety of the affected families. No child should be taken from the safety of a classroom. No parent should have to endure this anguish.
“Our rescue efforts will be intelligence-led, careful, coordinated, and sustained. We will deploy every lawful tool available, both kinetic and non-kinetic, to ensure our children and teachers are safely returned home.”
