Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) has strongly urged the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to accelerate rescue operations for the students and teachers recently abducted by terrorists in Oyo and Borno states, alongside all other captives held across the country.
In a statement released over the weekend by the association’s Chairman, Sola Akingboye, and signed by Osby Isibor, Public Relations Officer, ACOE expressed deep empathy and unwavering solidarity with the families, teachers, and management of the three affected schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as well as the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Borno State.
The online editors’ body voiced profound concern over the persistent security vulnerabilities surrounding educational institutions in Nigeria, warning that targeting students who are simply pursuing their right to an education strikes at the very future of the nation.
”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.”
Reflecting on the separate incidents—including the abduction in Oriire, Oyo State, which has left families without answers for several weeks, and the recent brazen assault on students sitting for their National Examinations Council (NECO) exams in Lassa, Borno State—ACOE emphasized that the government must deploy every available asset to put an end to the nightmare.
”We are calling on the Federal Government and all relevant security authorities to act with the highest sense of urgency,” Akingboye continued.
“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 extended its prayers and thoughts to all other victims of banditry and terrorism nationwide, reassuring the public that the corporate online media will continue to use its platforms to advocate for justice, transparency, and the unconditional protection of human lives.
END
