Vice President, Kashim Shettima has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is equal to the task in his efforts to secure the nation from the hands of terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements.

He made this known when he paid a sympathy visit to Kaduna state on Saturday over the kidnap of 287 schoolchildren at Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of the State.

To this end, Shettima said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered security agencies to leave nothing unturned until the abducted school children return to their parents unhurt.

The Vice President who held a closed-door meeting with the Kuriga community leaders, parents of the kidnapped school children, security chief and state government officials also cautioned the media to be selective in their style of reporting in the the interest of the security of the abducted children.

He pointed out that, the very essence of the existence of government is to secure the lives and property of the citizens.

But he was quick to add that, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is equal to the task on the issues on ground.

“I am here on the behest of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emphasise with the government and people of Kaduna State over the sad incident of this kidnapping of our school kids.

“The President is personally pained by what happened and he has instructed the security agencies to leave no stone unturned until we return our kids to their parents.

“The President has spoken with the Governor of Kaduna State four times, he has spoken with me three times about far with the rescue of the kids.

“As rightly captured by His Excellency the Governor, the situation is pathetic. I will align with His Excellency and impress on our friends in the media, we are all stakeholders in the Nigeria Project, therefore we should be more circumspect, let us be more selective in our choice of reporting on the internet of our kids that are not currently with us. I want to commend you and solicit your continuous support.

“Once again on behalf of my principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, please, accept our heartfelt sympathy over the incident that has befallen our people.

“Be rest assured that the President is equal to the task. The very essence of the existence of government is to secure the lives and property of the citizens. He has tasked the entire security architecture in the country to get back our kids safely,” the Vice President said.

Meanwhile, Governor Uba Sani while expressing appreciation to the Vice President over his visit, expressed optimism about the progress of the rescue effort of the abducted school children.

However, he cautioned the media to be careful in their reportage to avoid risking the lives of the kids in captivity.

He also commended the ongoing effort of the Federal government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmad Tinubu and security agencies to ensure safe returns for the children.

“We have been working with the community as well as the leadership of Chikun local government to ensure that we collaborate with relevant security agencies to ensure all the children return back home safely.

“At this juncture, I would like to caution the media to be very careful with the way they make their report because, at this critical time, we have to avoid politicizing this very unfortunate incident.

“What is important to us is the safe return of the children. He emphasised that the Kaduna State government cannot allow anyone to jeopardize the safety of the Children who were kidnapped.

Governor Uba Sani pointed out that, the community had been cooperative because they are working with the Kaduna state government and relevant security agencies towards returning of the children.

“I can say we are making some progress but we are not going to disclose what we have been doing, it is not about politics but about security and here in Kaduna we don’t politicize the issue of security,” he said. (Sunday Tribune)

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