Bello Matawalle, governor of Zamfara, has ordered the
immediate closure of all boarding schools in the state.
The directive comes after more than 300 students of the
Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Talata-Mafara local government
area of the state, were abducted by gunmen on Friday.
In a broadcast on Friday evening, Matawalle extended his
sympathy to the families of the abducted girls, while assuring them of the
commitment of the state government to ensure their speedy rescue.
“I wish to assure everyone that we are wholly committed to
ensuring a speedy rescue of our dear schoolgirls and reuniting them with their
families. Since when I received the sad news, I have been making contacts with
the security agencies and other relevant individuals and groups towards
rescuing these girls,” he said.
“Currently, police helicopters and other search-and-rescue
operatives have been deployed to the area. Members of the public, and most especially
the parents and guardians, would be kept informed of developments with regard
to this all-important mission.
“As a father, I feel the pains of the parents and guardians
of the abductees. My heart is with you at this moment and will always be with you
throughout the rescue mission. I also want to use this opportunity to appeal to
the parents and guardians to exercise more patience and continue to pray for
the success of the ongoing rescue mission.
“As we are making efforts to strengthen security around our
schools, I have directed the immediate closure of all boarding secondary
schools across the state.”
Noting that the period was not the time to “trade blame”,
Matawalle said the recent twist in the spate of banditry has necessitated the
need for the adoption of a uniform strategy across all affected states.
“Despite this seeming setback, my administration will ever
remain focused on its strategy of disarmament. A single bullet in the hands of
the non-state rogue elements could result in severe harm to the innocent. I am
of the conviction that the large cache of assorted weapons recovered through
the disarmament process has made Zamfara state safer, despite the recent
unfortunate incidents,” Matawalle said.
“We can only defeat this formidable challenge through a
united response. Politics or any other difference should not stand in the way
of the fight against insecurity.
“I appeal to the people of the state to remain calm and
resist the evil machinations of those who would want to exploit the current
situation to achieve political ends. I also call on people to be more security
conscious and report any suspicious individual or activity to the relevant
authorities.
“While we remain appreciative of the efforts by the federal
government in the fight against banditry and other criminal activities in the
state, I wish to appeal for more support towards combating this challenge, most
especially with the new trend the challenge is assuming.”
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