NOA DG Issa-Onilu condemns Kebbi, Kwara attacks, assures of FG’s efforts for safe return of those abducted

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has strongly condemned the recent abduction of 25 students of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi State, and the violent attacks and abduction of Christian worshippers in Eruku Town of Kwara State.

Expressing concern over the abduction in Kebbi State, the Director General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in a statement by Paul Odenyi, Deputy Director Communication & Media, described the incident as a reprehensible act that violates the fundamental rights of children to safety and education, emphasising that such actions undermine national efforts to promote access to education, particularly for the girl-child.

Issa-Onilu emphasised that no child seeking education should ever be put at risk, stressing that schools must remain safe spaces where children can learn, grow and aspire without fear.

On the attack on Christian worshippers in Eruku Town of Kwara State, the DG, who expressed his heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, as he reiterated that freedom of worship is a fundamental right enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, and any act that seeks to intimidate or harm citizens based on their faith is not only unlawful but deeply unpatriotic.

He assured the public that in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the security agencies are making concerted efforts, through coordinated security operations and intelligence gathering, to ensure the safe and swift return of the abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the worshippers in Kwara.