Prof urges FG to replicate Oyo strategy in rescuing abducted schoolchildren in Borno
Kola Oyelere, Kano
A Professor of Political Science at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Kamilu Sani Fagge, has urged the Federal Government to adopt the same strategy it used to secure the release of abducted schoolchildren in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to rescue children kidnapped in Borno State and other parts of the country.
Speaking on the country’s growing insecurity, Fagge said the approach employed in Oyo had yielded results and should be replicated wherever schoolchildren are abducted.
“In my opinion, what the Federal Government used in Oyo is what they should do in Borno and in any other place where schoolchildren are abducted,” he said.
According to the political scientist, any strategy that has proven effective should be consistently applied instead of adopting different approaches in similar situations.
“Since what they used in Oyo State created results, I think that is what they should be doing, rather than anything different,” he added.
Fagge, however, expressed reservations about the payment of ransom to secure the release of kidnapped victims, warning that such a strategy could fuel further kidnappings.
“If giving ransom was part of what they did before the children in Oriire were released, then they should do the same in Borno too. But I do not think giving ransom is a good strategy because it will encourage others to venture into kidnapping with the hope of receiving ransom,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to take decisive measures to curb the rising wave of kidnappings, stressing that security agencies should focus more on prevention than responding after attacks have occurred.
“The government needs to tighten its belt, rely on intelligence gathering and act promptly on credible reports because when incidents like these happen, it suggests that the security arrangements have failed,” Fagge said.
He maintained that preventive measures remain the most effective way to tackle insecurity, adding that the country’s current response to kidnapping has been largely reactive and ineffective.
“I think preventive measures should be the best alternative, not reactive measures. We are only reacting to the situation, and even then, we are reacting in the wrong way,” he said.