Sunday, May 26, 2024 -Two abducted students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) have been killed by kidnappers.
The two victims, James Michael Anajuwe, a 100-level Information Technology student, and Musa Hussein, a 100-level Software Engineering student were among students kidnaped by gunmen who invaded the school on May 9, 2024.
A total of 20 of the abducted students were rescued by the security operatives and
local hunters.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, the two students must have been
killed by the kidnappers as an act of revenge due to the killing of some of the
kidnappers during the rescue mission.
Meanwhile, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Education For All (E4A) has
condemned the murder of two students despite ongoing negotiations with the
parents of the children, saying the murder is the height of callousness by the
kidnappers.
In a
statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja which was signed by the Publicity
Secretary of the NGO, Nasir Ibrahim, E4A said the kidnappers intended to scare
young people from going to school.
“It is sad that the criminals killed two of the students who were not
among the 21 rescued through the operation coordinated by the Kogi State
Government, though the circumstances of their kidnap and being traced to a
forest in Kwara State by security agencies are yet to be ascertained. This is
sad, callous, and a call for collective action against attackers of educational
institutions,” the statement read.
“We are aware that parents of the students were negotiating with the
kidnappers which slowed down the offensive on the kidnappers by security
agencies so as not to endanger the lives of the captives. We were very hopeful
and optimistic that they would be released at the end of the negotiations.
“Information reaching us shows that the students allegedly killed were
James Michael Anajuwe, a 100-level Information Technology student, and Musa
Hussein, a 100-level Software Engineering student of the University. They were
allegedly killed at the kidnappers’ hideout in Kwara.
"We are broken and shattered that despite the efforts of the
parents, NGOs, and the State Government, we still lost these promising
students. We call on the Kogi State Government to work with its Kwara State
counterpart to take decisive action against the perpetrators who are said to be
hiding in a forest in Kwara, very close to Kogi and Ekiti States.
The NGO commiserates with the families of the lost children, urging the
NSA and the Federal Ministry of Education to reinvigorate efforts on the Safe
School Initiative
“The painful loss of the two students should provoke the office of the
National Security Adviser to work with the Federal Ministry of Education to
ensure the safety of our schools across the country.
“It is unacceptable to lose children whose only offense was embracing
education. Our nation must rise to the occasion to arrest the rising insecurity
across the country.”
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