Eight students of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State, who had remained in the captivity of bandits who abducted them last month, have been rescued.
The students, according to the state Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement on Sunday, were rescued unhurt in a forest in Kwara State in an operation carried out in collaboration with the government of the two states and security agencies.
Fanwo said the successful rescue of the students was further made possible after Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, as well as President Bola Tinubu directing full support towards the recovery of the students.
“The government of Kogi State expresses profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the mobilisation of resources to ensure the rescue of the kidnapped students. We also thank the National Security Adviser immensely for his commitment to the release of the students and the general security of the State,” Fanwo said.
“The Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Director General of DSS, the Inspector General of Police and all the officers and men of the Armed Forces that put in their best as well as the Pilots, did a wonderful job to support us in reuniting the kidnapped students with their families.
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“The Kogi State Command of all the security agencies, Police, DSS, NSCDC and our local hunters are also highly appreciated for their efforts towards this feat.
“Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo also expresses immense gratitude to his Kwara State counterpart, Governor AbdulRahmam AbdulRazak for his personal commitment, cooperation and support towards the success of the operation that led to the rescue of the remaining kidnapped students.
“The Kwara State Governor showed the reason he is effectively leading the Nigerian Governors Forum. His actions have also reinforced the Kogi/Kwara cooperation and unity of purpose.
“Now that the remaining students have been rescued, the government of Gov. Ododo will continue the drive to recalibrate its security architecture and pay attention to the Safe School Initiative.
“As the state with the lowest out-of-school children in the North, we have put structures in place to keep our schools safe to ensure every child is not deprived of his or her right to education.
“Kogi has domesticated the Child Rights Act and we will defend the right of our children to quality education. In Kogi State, education is free up to the Secondary School level.
“We also pay the registration fees for our students to write all internal and external examinations with a budgetary allocation that is way above the UNESCO benchmark for education.
“We do all of these to educate our children and make them responsible contributors to the economy of Nigeria,” the statement added.