Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State on Saturday vowed to lead the rescue operation of teachers and students abducted from the Federal Government College (FGC), Birnin Yauri, in Ngaski Local Government Area of the State.
Bagudu, who is also the Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum, spoke when local hunters visited him.
Recall that armed men suspected to be bandits had abducted students and teachers of the school on Thursday.
One of the students abducted was reportedly shot dead during a gun duel between soldiers and the abductors.
The Nigerian Army had confirmed that five of the kidnapped students and two teachers have been rescued.
But Bagudu has promised to join in the ongoing search operations for the remaining students and staff of the school.
He said: “But, we will go out there and like I promised, the day we will move out, I will not be in the office because we will join you in the field.”
The Kebbi State Governor said this would be done regardless of the consequences.
“It is not weapons that win wars, but it is the will that bad people cannot triumph and we will show that, we have enough willpower.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies have been doing the best they could with limited resources.
“But, we also need to mobilize, kit ourselves and take on these bandits. Our various scriptures as Muslims and Christians allow us to put our lives at risk in defence of our honour, property and our faiths.
“In what the bandits are doing, they have challenged all of us, so, we can’t let them.”
Bagudu asked the hunters to go back and fully mobilise, pending when he gets the necessary clearance from the security agencies, adding, “we will meet in the field.”
The governor maintained that governors were not sworn in only to sit down in the office and work.
He stated that they are aware that one day, they would be required to lead in the field, even though they are not military or police personnel.
He said that if hundreds of thousands of people can be mobilised during campaigns, same should be done now to join the search party.
“What happened in Birnin Yauri should be the last straw. We should follow these bandits wherever they are and take them on.” NAN quoted him as saying.
