The Benue State Police Command confirmed on Friday night the release of 20 students from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos who were kidnapped by gunmen in Benue State last Thursday.
SP Catherine Anene, the command police public relations officer, announced their release to journalists in Makurdi around 11:15 p.m. on Friday. She simply texted the following message: “Kidnap victims released.” Details will be released tomorrow morning.
Their release comes just five days after Nigeria’s Inspector General (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun deployed his tactical squad to Benue State and relocated the State Commissioner of Police, CP Yabanet, to Otukpo LGA to rescue the abducted students.
According to reports, the operation was carried out by a combined team of security operatives coordinated by the National Security Adviser’s Office.
According to reports, the police, DSS operatives, the military, and the Benue State Government all contributed to the successful operation. Earlier in an exclusive interview, a lawyer and rights activist, Mr. Kabir Akingbolu, stated that the security situation in the country is highly precarious, unpredictable, and unsafe.
“You cannot give the government any credit at all. Even if you are a bit confused as to whether you are convinced that they have done something in relation to security, I think the recent occurrence of the kidnapping of the students is a very terrible one that has taken a devastating toll on so many families in Nigeria.
And it has once again rekindled the incessant call for the government to rejig the security apparatus in the country, improve on them, and ensure that there is coherence among the various security agencies in Nigeria so that they can achieve good results.
As it is now, nobody can say that the war against banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, or Boko Haram has been won. It is far from being won. There is no security that is safe today.
You can’t travel by land and be safe. You can’t travel by rail and be safe. You cannot travel by air and be safe. Even traveling by sea is not safe either. So I think the government should do something in terms of security and place a high premium on it. It is very important.”
He added that it would be difficult to assess the response to such kidnappings because, security-wise, you don’t need to broadcast the steps being taken like the government is doing. “It is supposed to be secret.
The reason why so many kidnapping victims are not rescued, or kidnapping incidents are not solved in the country, and why criminals are not brought to justice, is because Nigeria is the only place where you catch one robber, and instead of quietly trailing the others, you announce to the public that you are tracking them, revealing your strategy.
“So when the government states their strategies, it makes it impossible for them to catch the remaining criminals. So, the government announcing the steps they are taking is prejudicial to the success of capturing or arresting the situation. It is good to stay quiet, but we do hope that while they remain silent, they are working behind the scenes to ensure the safety of the students.”
“Kidnapping students is a terrible occurrence because they are the future of the nation. The confidence of the people, which was just beginning to develop, has been completely derailed. It has completely fizzled out with this occurrence.
They can no longer believe that the government is doing anything at all. Do you know how many students are involved here? It consists of people from all tribes in Nigeria. So I think nobody will give the government a pass mark. Nobody will come out and say the government has done enough in terms of securing lives and properties in the country. It is highly impossible.
“There is a great question mark on the ability, capability, and efficiency of the current government to tackle insecurity. It is now becoming clear, an eye-opener, that the government does not even know what to do anymore.
All the security apparatus put in place, that have been bandied about, have not been successful. Nigerians are not seeing the successes, they are not seeing the impact, they are not seeing the effect at all. It is as if the government has done nothing, because this is one kidnapping too many.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), said that the recent kidnapping of medical students in Benue State—and the inability of the government and security agencies to rescue them alive and safe, as well as apprehend the kidnappers—underscores the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria, characterised by rampant violence, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and a general atmosphere of fear.
“This incident highlights vulnerabilities in the country’s security infrastructure and the growing audacity of criminal elements, particularly in regions where travel has become unsafe.
“The government’s response to this and similar kidnappings has remained inadequate and reactive rather than proactive.
Efforts to secure the release of the abducted medical students remain uncertain, and delayed responses clearly indicate the inability of the government to effectively address the security challenges facing citizens. Initiatives to combat crime are not well thought out.
The frequency of these incidents is clear evidence of the ineffectiveness of the government’s strategies.
“This incident has severe implications for education in Nigeria, particularly concerning students’ safety while pursuing academic work and other educational opportunities.
The heightened trend of kidnappings has deterred students from attending school and negatively impacted educational attainment.
Moreover, the fear of traveling has restricted personal freedoms and hindered economic activities, contributing to a culture of insecurity that has stifled growth.
“The public’s confidence in the government’s ability to protect its citizens is seriously shaken by such incidents. Repeated kidnappings and the perception of government ineffectiveness have led to a sense of despair and frustration among the populace. This erosion of trust now manifests in calls for alternative security architectures and measures, including state and/or community police, further complicating the security landscape in the country.”
Mr. Nwanguma said the ongoing security crises in Nigeria necessitate urgent and comprehensive policy responses to restore safety and confidence in government institutions.
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