TWO weeks on, Nigerians are still celebrating the rescue of 46 pupils, teachers and other school personnel abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. However, this should not become another fleeting moment of relief before the country resigns itself to the next tragedy. If anything, the horrifying episode should serve as a watershed in Nigeria’s battle against mass abductions.
Kidnapped on May 15 in what has been described as one of the largest school kidnappings in southern Nigeria this year, their eventual rescue, after a painstaking operation involving military special forces and other security agencies, was commendable.
Sadly, the success came at a heavy price, with a police inspector, Jerome Abena, losing his life during the operation. An army officer, Lieutenant Felix Issac, was killed earlier in a firefight before the actual rescue operation. Beyond the jubilation, no Nigerian child or teacher should have to endure
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