Kankara Boys: CISA praises role of military in their freedom

Kankara Boys: CISA praises role of military in their freedom

Foremost civil society organisation, Citizens Initiative for Security Awareness (CISA) has praised the Nigerian military for the very skillful and professional manner with which they managed the delicate Kankara abduction and the eventual successful release of all 344 school boys without any mishap.

In a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Chidi Omeje and issued on Friday morning, the group stated that the happy ending of that very nerve-wrecking and heart-rending abduction of the school kids by bandits in Katsina State was a huge testimony to the tenacity of purpose and adroitness of the military in handling such delicate crisis situations. “The troops did not pander to the calls from some quarters to storm the location with gunfire; they rather kept their eyes on the ball, making sure that the whole general area was cordoned off, thereby denying the abductors the opportunity to slip away into the abyss with the boys and now we have the result we yearned for”.

It noted that but for their professionalism in managing delicate crisis, the whole abduction saga might have turned nightmarish for Nigerians and the world. The group therefore urged “Nigerians to take a moment to reflect on what could have been the fate of those hapless kids had the military not handled the situation most professionally”.

“It is not good enough to keep silent when our troops perform exceptionally well but always ready to vilify and denigrate them each time there was a setback in their operations. This is the time to commend our gallant and very professional army”.

According to the group, “Even though we were told that the military were not directly involved in the negotiation process but we all know that the ubiquitous presence of the military provided the needed confidence for those who negotiated with the abductors. It is also worthy of note that the military did not pander to the calls from some quarters to storm the location with gunfire; they rather kept their eyes on the ball, making sure that the whole general area was cordoned off, thereby denying the abductors the opportunity to slip away into the abyss with the boys and today the whole process ended well, to the glory of God”.

The group urged Nigerians to continue encouraging and supporting the Armed Forces and other security agencies involved in confronting various agent of darkness that are intent on destroying the peace, security and progress of the country.