A parent of one of the abducted students of the Catholic School in Agwara, Niger State, has appealed to authorities not to shut down the school despite the mass abduction of 315 persons by bandits last month.
This was revealed by Bishop Bulus Yohanna, Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.
The bishop, who spoke a day after Governor Umar Bago received 100 rescued students, said some parents fear that the school might be shut due to the incident.
“One of the parents, when the NSA visited us, was begging that the school should not be closed, that even with this thing that has happened, the school should continue,” Yohanna said.
“We will encourage them (students) that they have to go back to school. We will do everything to make sure that that school continues,” he added.
He expressed mixed emotions over the latest development, noting that although the release of the 100 rescued students was a relief, the situation remained dire because 165 victims were still being held by their captors.
“We are experiencing a mix of emotions. On one hand, we are happy about the release of the 100 students, and on the other hand, we are sad because 165 students are still in captivity,” he said.
On November 21, terrorists invaded the Catholic school in Agwara Local Government Area and abducted 315 persons, including 12 teachers. About 50 pupils managed to escape after two days, but the majority remain in custody.
The bishop called for sustained government action to ensure the safe return of the remaining victims and to strengthen security in schools across the state.
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