The Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) has called on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the release of students and teachers recently abducted by terrorists in Oyo and Borno states, as well as other victims still held captive across the country.
In a statement issued over the weekend, ACOE Chairman, Sola Akingboye, expressed solidarity with the families, teachers, and management of the three affected schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Borno State.
The association condemned the continued attacks on educational institutions, describing the abduction of students as a direct assault on Nigeria’s future and a threat to the country’s education system.
“We stand in total solidarity with the traumatized parents, the dedicated teachers, and the affected school communities during this incredibly dark and painful period,” Akingboye said.
“No parent should ever have to experience the agony of sending a child to school, only to wait in weeks of silence and agonizing uncertainty. The mental and psychological toll on these families is unimaginable.”
Referring to the abduction in Oriire, Oyo State, which has left families without information for several weeks, as well as the recent attack on students sitting for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations in Lassa, Borno State, ACOE urged authorities to deploy all available resources to rescue the victims.
The association called on the Federal Government and security agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance, and rescue operations to ensure the safe return of all abducted students, teachers, and other citizens held by terrorists.
“We are calling on the Federal Government and all relevant security authorities to act with the highest sense of urgency,” Akingboye stated.
“The intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations must be intensified and sustained until every single child, teacher, and citizen currently held in terrorist enclaves across Nigeria is safely reunited with their loved ones. Security agencies must move swiftly to restore the confidence of citizens in the safety of our schools.”
ACOE also expressed sympathy for victims of banditry and terrorism across the country, pledging that the corporate online media would continue to advocate for justice, transparency, and the protection of lives and property.
