The Kogi State Government has announced the rescue of the last eight kidnapped students from Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara.
According to our correspondent, the students were found in a forest in Kwara State during a joint operation with the Kwara State Government.
Kingsley Fanwo, the state Commissioner for Information, stated on Sunday that the governor has committed full support to the students and their parents and is implementing measures to enhance the state’s security.
The government of Kogi State expresses profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the mobilisation of resources for the students’ rescue.
We also deeply thank the National Security Adviser for his dedication to securing the students’ release and the overall safety of the state.
We appreciate 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 armed forces personnel, including the pilots, for their exceptional efforts in reuniting the kidnapped students with their families.
The Kogi State Command, including the Police, DSS, NSCDC, and our local hunters, also deserve recognition for their efforts,” the statement read.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo also expressed immense gratitude to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his personal commitment and support in the operation that led to the rescue.
The Kwara State Governor has demonstrated effective leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum, reinforcing the cooperation and unity between Kogi and Kwara, the statement continued.
With the students now safe, Fanwo said the administration will continue to strengthen its security framework and prioritize the Safe School Initiative.
As the state with the lowest number of out-of-school children in the North, we have established structures to keep our schools safe, ensuring every child has the right to education.
Kogi has enacted the Child Rights Act, and we will uphold the right to quality education.
Education is free up to the secondary school level, and we cover registration fees for all internal and external examinations, with a budget exceeding UNESCO’s benchmark for education.
We are committed to educating our children to be responsible contributors to Nigeria’s economy, Fanwo added.
The governor urged citizens to provide intelligence to security agencies to prevent crime, emphasizing that it is a safer, cheaper, and better approach.
We must all come together to defeat banditry, kidnapping, and all forms of criminality in our society, he concluded.
Last week, Kogi State Police Commissioner Bertrand Onuoha confirmed the killing of two recently abducted students from Confluence State University in the Osara area.
Yes, two of them were found to have been shot this morning, he confirmed, without providing further details while speaking with journalists in Lokoja, the state capital.
