•Bulama Bukarti
Bulama Bukarti, a security analyst, has said that the best way to rescue the abducted schoolchildren in Kaduna and Sokoto states is to deploy ground troops.
On March 8, bandits invaded the LEA Primary and Junior Secondary School, Kuriga in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and abducted at least 312 students and the principal, Abubakar Isah, reports Daily Trust.
Also on March 9, an unspecified number of Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso in Gada local government area of Sokoto state were kidnapped.
But during an interview on Channels TV, Bukarti said that the first few hours and days after the abductions presented the real opportunity for security agencies to rescue the victims, but noted that it was not too late yet.
He, however, believed that paying ransom would exacerbate banditry in the country.
Bukarti said, “Nigeria has the capability and capacity to rescue these children. And we need to act decisively. The way to act decisively is to deploy ground troops.
“These areas are not hidden. These people are still using their smart phones. And Nigerin security agencies have proven their capacity to deal with terrorists.
“I 100 percent support the federal government’s policy to not pay ransom. Paying ransom will only exacerbate the problem because the more money these violent criminals get, the more weapons and logistics they would stock; and the more people they would abduct and the more terror they would unleash on Nigerians.
“So, the policy of not paying ransom by the federal government is a good one and I welcome it. I hope that the federal government will ensure that no state governor pays ransom whatever the situation.
“When the federal government says that we are not going to pay ransom, then it needs to work hand in gloves to make sure that these young boys and girls and women are rescued.
“Listening to the accounts of those who have escaped, there were real opportunities in the past few hours and days for security personnel to rescue these children.
“One of the children who was interviewed by BBC Hausa explained how they were made to trek for days into the bush.
“He said that there were times when a Nigerian air force helicopter was hovering over them. When that happened the criminals directed them to lie down. If the Nigerian army had sent ground troops, they could rescue the children, because the criminals were tired, too.”
