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Public Affairs Analyst and Policy Expert, Jude Imagwe, MON, has called for renewed national efforts to secure the safe release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, urging the Federal Government, security agencies, community leaders and Nigerians to sustain every lawful measure until the victims regain their freedom.
In a statement issued on Friday, Imagwe lamented that while schools across the country are closing for the long vacation and millions of pupils return home to celebrate the end of another academic session with their families, the abducted children remain in captivity, unable to reunite with their loved ones.
Describing the situation as a national tragedy, he said the prolonged captivity of the victims should continue to trouble the conscience of every Nigerian, stressing that no child should become “a forgotten headline.”
“Our silence must never outlive their suffering,” he said, noting that no parent should have to begin a school holiday uncertain whether their child is alive.
Imagwe observed that the victims have reportedly spent nearly eight weeks in captivity, describing every additional day of their ordeal as unacceptable.
According to him, the abduction of children from their classrooms is not only an attack on individual families but also an assault on education, hope and public confidence in the nation’s ability to protect its citizens.
He urged the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government to intensify every lawful effort to secure the victims’ safe return, while calling on security agencies to remain professional, intelligence-driven and relentless in their rescue operations.
The former Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Youth and Student Matters also appealed to legislators to sustain oversight on the matter, urging local government authorities, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and community groups to continue supporting lawful intelligence gathering and initiatives that strengthen public trust.
Imagwe further cautioned Nigerians against allowing the victims’ prolonged captivity to fade from public consciousness, warning that one of the greatest victories criminal networks can achieve is convincing society to accept prolonged suffering as normal.
Calling for national unity, he said moments of crisis should transcend politics and place humanity at the forefront of collective action.
He encouraged Nigerians to continue praying for the safe return of those still in captivity while supporting all lawful efforts to restore security and public confidence.
“A nation begins to heal the day it decides that no child’s pain is too distant, no family’s grief is too small, and no citizen’s cry is unworthy of the nation’s concern,” Imagwe stated.
He maintained that Nigeria’s responsibility remains unfinished until every abducted child and teacher is safely reunited with their families.
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