TUNDE ADELEKE, Osogbo
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Osun State have called on the Federal Government to secure the release of all kidnapped and abducted Nigerians, including schoolchildren and their teachers.
They made the call in Osogbo on Friday, during a peaceful procession, which was part of the activities embarked on to this years democracy day.
The groups which include members of the Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Take It Back Movement; the Coalition Against Insecurity and Bad Governance; and Students Union bodies, converged at Ayetoro and marched through Igbonna, Olonkoro, Old Garage, Oke-Fia, and Olaiya areas of the state capital.
Speaking, the convener of the Coalition Against Insecurity and Bad Governance, Kola Ibrahim, expressed concern over the rising cases of school kidnappings, warning that the situation posed a threat to the future of education in Nigeria.
Ibrahim urged the federal government to ensure the immediate release of all abducted citizens, describing the continued captivity of children and teachers as unacceptable.
According to him, “We are demanding the release of all kidnapped and abducted Nigerians, especially our school children, our future, the future of Nigeria, and their teachers.
“It is incongruous that we are in a country that has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children, and we are still not being able to secure our schools. If we are having 19 million children out of school and yet those who are going to school are being kidnapped, what is now the future of education in Nigeria?
“You can imagine, for two weeks, children of seven years old, two years old, and their teachers are under captivity. But the sister of a former minister was kidnapped, and within two or three days she and the children were rescued. This shows the disparity and inequality in government response to security.
“In Osun state, we have had billions being budgeted for security bills. We have not seen the results. Nationally, the Tinubu government since inception has spent N13.1 trillion on security and we have not seen the results. And we are saying that the government should be accountable for the billions and trillions of Naira budgeted for security both at the federal and state level. ,” Ibrahim said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Osun Civil Society Coalition (OCSC), Comrade Waheed Lawal, urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to address insecurity and improve the welfare of Nigerians.
Lawal stated that the responsibility of government to protect lives and property is a constitutional obligation.
He said, “It is a constitutional matter. The laws say government should provide security for the lives and property of citizens and their welfare. The government has failed to provide security for the people.
“We don’t want to lose any lives again. We want the government to secure the release of all abductees currently in captivity. The children and teachers should be released,” he added.
According to him, rising inflation has made life difficult for citizens, calling on authorities to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the gains of democracy.
“The inflation in this country is too much. We want Nigerians to enjoy this democracy. This is the longest democratic process in Nigeria and this is the worst government. We want government to be proactive in addressing security challenges and the welfare of the people,” he said.
“As Nigerians, we should always stand up for our rights. It is our right to demand for good governance, the right to elect a government that is better for us, and we have the right to reject a government that serves as punishment to us,” he said.
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