President Bola Tinubu expressed confidence that victims of the latest abduction in Kaduna and Borno would be rescued, basing his confidence on the briefing he received from security chiefs.
This is as he has condemned as heinous the abduction involving “very vulnerable victims, internally-displaced persons in Borno, and students in Kaduna”.
The president had directed security and intelligence agencies to immediately rescue the victims and ensure that justice is served against the perpetrators of these abominable acts.
“I have received briefing from security chiefs on the two incidents, and I am confident that the victims will be rescued. Nothing else is acceptable to me and the waiting family members of these abducted citizens. Justice will be decisively administered,” a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), quoted him as saying.
President Tinubu expressed his sympathy to the families of the victims, assuring them that they would soon be reunited with their loved ones.
In a related development, the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has called on state governors and lawmakers to prescribe capital punishment for kidnapping.
Noting that the kidnapping of innocent children is heart-reducing, she described the kidnappers as cowards for majorly taking hold of women and children, saying that they are inhumane and should be treated as such.
Speaking on Friday during a meeting with the National Women Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the presidential villa, Abuja, he said: “They are cowards. Our hearts bleed. I call on the state governments that once we take hold of them, they deserve capital punishment. Why can’t they take men of their size, why are they touching women and children?
“What they are doing is that they are trying to kill our future, we all know that when parents are old, we rely on our children, we see them as our investments that have not gone to waste especially when they are successful.
“Why will you now take them from their schools? Right now, I think enough is enough. As a former lawmaker, I believe that any one of them captured deserves capital punishment.
“I believe most mothers will support me on this because we carry our children for nine months, and we cannot watch what we love to wither away.”
The First Lady told the women that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu places a strong emphasis on creating opportunities for women to thrive economically, socially, and politically.
“As women, we constitute a significant portion of our society, and it is vital that our voices are heard and our contributions acknowledged. As women leaders, your role is very crucial to our nation’s development. You are the eyes and ears of the Government at the grassroot. I therefore encourage you to set a robust agenda for empowerment, inclusion and welfare of women within our Party and across the nation,” she added.
On International Women’s Day, she saluted all women particularly Nigerian women for their courage, resilience, and doggedness.
