Abbas Speaks on Sokoto Abductions, Says No Nigerian Should Be in Captivity

* CSOs urge Tinubu to declare state of emergency in Katsina

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has condemned yet another mass abduction of pupils in Sokoto State by suspected bandits.
About 15 pupils were reportedly abducted from an Islamic school in Gidan Bakuso, Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Saturday.
The abduction followed the previous ones in Borno and Kaduna States within one week, which the Speaker had earlier condemned.

Abbas, in a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi , noted that no Nigerian should be in captivity.
To this end, he called on the military and other security agencies to go after the abductors and rescue the victims.
“We must collectively rise to the occasion and stem the tide of abductions, especially of women and children, at a time when the government is making efforts to address the high rate of out-of-school children.

“The schools must be safe for our children. Our security agencies need to act fast,” Speaker Abbas said.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Katsina State, yesterday, renewed calls to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to declare a state of emergency in the state over worsening insecurity.

In a statement titled: “Celebrating Women’s Day Amidst High Cost of Living and Insecurity, the CSOs Chairman, AbdulRahman Abdullahi, said the president should give a matching order to security agencies to clear bandits’ enclaves in the state.
He said the nefarious activities of the bandits have become a major predicament to the socio-economic development of Katsina state, and many lives are being lost on a daily basis in the state.

“It is on the above background that the coalition wishes to appeal for concerted and collaborative efforts in the fight against banditry in Katsina State for the restoration of peace in the state so that our farmers can go back to their farms being the only sure way of fighting hunger and starvation.
 “The President should declare a state of emergency on the fight against banditry by giving a timeline within which the security operatives should clear all enclaves for the bandits in the affected States.”