The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has commended President Bola Tinubu and security agencies for the release of the remaining pupils abducted from a boarding school in Niger State, describing the development as a huge relief to parents and the nation.
The President of the TUC, Festus Osifo, gave the commendation on Sunday while featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, following confirmation that the last batch of students held in captivity had regained their freedom.
Osifo, who is also the President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), expressed gratitude to security operatives for ending weeks of anxiety and anguish faced by families of the abducted children.
“First, I thank our security personnel for this breaking news. For us, we are quite elated and happy because, as parents, when your children go to school and do not return home, I wonder if any of those fathers and mothers were able to sleep in the last month,” he said.
He particularly praised the efforts of security agencies coordinating the rescue operation, noting that their intervention restored hope and brought immense relief to affected families.
“So, we thank the security outfit led by the office of the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Defence for coming to the rescue of those children,” Osifo added.
While welcoming the release, the labour leader urged the Federal Government to take concrete steps to prevent a recurrence of school abductions, warning that repeated attacks were discouraging school attendance and deepening fear across the country.
“We must put in the right architecture to ensure that whatever happened in Chibok, Dapchi, Kebbi and now Niger does not happen again,” he said.
The remaining pupils and teachers abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, regained their freedom on Sunday, bringing an end to the November 21 attack on the school.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, later confirmed that 130 pupils had been freed.
“Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released. None left in captivity,” Dare wrote on X.
The abduction, which occurred around 2:00 a.m., sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over the safety of schools, prompting President Tinubu to order a massive security operation across Niger and neighbouring states.
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