The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has expressed grave concern over the kidnapping of school children and students from educational institutions, emphasising the threat it poses to the safety of the younger generation and the educational system.
According to CAN, Nigerians must unite as a nation to ensure the safe return of abducted school children to their educational institutions.
Reverend Joseph Hayab, the Chairman of CAN in Kaduna State, made this statement on Wednesday as he brought Treasure Ayuba, the only remaining student who escaped from the bandits that had abducted him more than two years ago from Bethel Baptist School to the state governor, Uba Sani.
Reverend Hayab informed Governor Sani that Ayuba, along with 121 fellow students, had been abducted from their school hostel on the night of July 5, 2021 by bandits. He mentioned that over N250 million had been paid as ransom to secure the release of the 121 kidnapped children, but the bandits had refused to release Treasure.
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The CAN Chairman emphasised, “Treasure’s abduction, along with his fellow schoolchildren, remains a painful reminder of the challenges we face as a nation. The abduction deeply shook us, leaving us with a profound sense of urgency to end the atrocities against our citizens, our state, our nation, and humanity as a whole.”
Governor Sani, in his response, assured that the state government had initiated measures to ensure the safety of students in various schools across the state.
He pledged the state government’s support for Treasure, including providing psychosocial treatment to address the trauma he must have endured during his more than two-year captivity with the bandits.
