By EMMANUEL MOGBEDE

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday in Abuja said collective efforts was needed to ensure tighter security around schools and to end banditry and kidnapping in the country.

The party said this in a statement by Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, National Secretary of its Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

The party was reacting to the release of the abducted schoolchildren of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger.

Akpanudoedehe welcomed the safe release of the schoolchildren, teachers and their family members, saying their release was sequel to the earlier release of passengers of Niger State Transport Authority.

“It is truly heart-warming that the abductees have been reunited with their families and loved ones.

“We appreciate government’s efforts at all levels including non-state actors, which ensured the safe release of the abductees.

“While President Muhammadu Buhari government’s resolve and capacity to end cowardly attacks on soft targets, is not in doubt, we must collectively do more to end the scourge, particularly tighter security around schools,” he said.

Akpanudoedehe gave assurance that focus was, however, on the safe release of students abducted from Government Girls Junior Secondary School Jangebe, Zamfara.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the more than 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by gunmen from their boarding school on Friday morning.

The presidency had since condemned the development, saying it was “inhuman and totally unacceptable”.

President Buhari had said that his administration would not succumb to blackmail by bandits, who target innocent school students in the expectations of huge ransom payments.

“Our primary objective is to get the hostages safe, alive and unharmed,” the president had said in an earlier statement.

He said that although authorities could deploy “massive forces against the bandits”, there were fears that the schoolgirls could be used as human shields. (NAN)

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