(Press Statement)Following the abduction of over 200 students of Government Girls Secondary, Chibok, Borno State and the subsequent heartless move by insurgents to sell the students across borders, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) observed that:
1. Unless violence or attack occurs within Abuja vicinity, the intensity of response from the federal government is always minimal and ineffective.
2. Federal Ministry of Education, which should be the main stakeholder championing the release of the abducted students and providing necessary moral supports for the school and parents concerned has so far showed no appreciative intervention.
3. In spite of the whopping sums expended on national security vote annually, in recent times, the rate of attacks, kidnappings and bombardments have been endlessly intensified.
4. Despite the existing state of emergency in Borno State, large number of students were abducted by insurgents to an unknown location without due notice by security personnel.
5. While the parents of the abducted students roam in pains, there have been series of unguarded utterances among political elites that could further intensify the existing trauma faced by parents and relatives.
6. Lack of constructive synergy and concerted efforts among political and traditional elites to strategically brainstorm on the effective medium to rescue the students has further backpedalled required political intervention.
7. Unchecked corrupt practices at the nation’s borders have promoted free movement of illegal arms and ammunition and lately, human trafficking by the insurgents.
8. The victims and communities of previous attacks have not been adequately compensated, rehabilitated nor reintegrated into their communities.
CISLAC therefore:
1. Calls for prompt and sincere effort by the Federal government to rescue the abducted students and reunite them to the families.
2. Urges appreciative concern by Federal Ministry of Education and effective collaboration among Nigerian governments and traditional institutions both within and neighboring communities to map out workable strategies to rescue the students and further secure the nation’s boundaries.
3. Demands effective collaboration with neighboring nations to help strengthen the existing search and rescue teams as they may need to extend their search to neighboring nations.
4. Constructive synergy and concerted efforts among all levels of government to strategically brainstorm on the effective medium to rescue the students.
5. Calls for sincere and concerted efforts to compensate, reintegrate and rehabilitate the victims of previous attacks.
6. Urges all well-meaning Nigerians to unit and promote national integrity and disapprove dirty politics and all efforts to promote weakness in any region in the country.
7. Urges political elites to be wary of implicative statements that could increase existing trauma on the victims’ parents, jeopardize or threaten the peace and security of the citizens and country.
8. Calls for adequate security and concerted efforts to safeguard the nations’ borders and address unchecked corrupt practices in the border management.
Signed:
Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani)
Executive Director, CISLAC
