Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, has applauded President Bola Tinubu following the release of the remaining 130 students of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri community, Niger State.
Abiodun said the development, coming after the earlier release of 100 students, showed that criminal elements would not prevail over the country, adding that the rescue fulfilled the President’s pledge to ensure the students’ freedom without harm.
The governor noted that the successful operation brought the total number of rescued students to 230 and enabled them to reunite with their families after weeks in captivity.
He also commended the Federal Government’s security efforts, saying the steady release of abducted persons across different states had helped to rebuild public confidence in governance.
Abiodun, in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Sunday, described the development as heartwarming, particularly as it would allow the students and their parents to celebrate the Yuletide together, while urging security agencies to ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.
He said: “I am extremely delighted to learn that the remaining 130 students of St. Mary’s Catholic School Papiri community, Niger State, who were hitherto in captivity, have been released.
“The students, their parents, Papiri community and the Government of Niger State have all been through a lot, and I rejoice with them in this moment of triumph over the forces of darkness who seized innocent students from their hostels, and their teachers from the school grounds.
“If this incident shows anything, it is the fact that the Bola Tinubu administration is committed to a safe, secure and prosperous Nigeria, and deserves our collective prayers and moral support.
“The president is determined to tackle the upsurge of kidnapping and terrorist attacks, and bring sanity back to our society, which will invariably restore the confidence of Nigerians and the international community in the government, and bring massive development.
“The security agencies deserve plaudits for this feat. I also urge them to ensure that the terrorists behind the attacks on innocent and law-abiding Nigerians are hunted down and prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law.”