Amnesty demands safe release of over 600 persons abducted by terrorists in Borno, Kaduna

Amnesty International on Friday urged the Federal Government to rescue the over 600 people abducted by terrorists in Borno and Kaduna States.

Suspected Boko Haran insurgents on Wednesday abducted about 400 inhabitants of three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Gamboru Ngala and two other local government areas of the state.

They also set fire to several temporary shelters in the GDSSS IDP camp in Mafa LGA and destroyed properties worth millions of naira in Ajari town of Damboa LGA.

24 hours later, a group of armed bandits stormed the Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School in Kuriga town, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, and abducted more than 200 people, including pupils and staff at the facility.

In a statement, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, decried the persistent failure of the Nigerian government to protect people from attacks by armed groups in the country.

It expressed disappointment that the current approach adopted by President Bola Tinubu’s administration at tackling the country’s security challenges was not working.

READ ALSO: Amnesty Int’l tasks Nigerian govt to treat rising wave of kidnapping as emergency

The statement read: “Authorities must also promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently, effectively, and transparently investigate the recurring cases of abductions in many parts of the country, make public the findings of any investigation, and ensure that the suspected perpetrators are brought to justice in fair trials.

“The latest mass abductions clearly show President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that are increasingly having a free reign across many parts of Nigeria.

“Whatever security measures are being implemented by President Tinubu and his government are clearly not working.

“Given the rising level of insecurity in Nigeria today, it is obvious that protecting lives and property is low on the list of government priorities. People should not be left to live in fear of the next attack or abduction. The Nigerian authorities’ consistent failure to protect people is completely unacceptable and must end.”

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