By Diana Omueza

The Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF), a nongovernmental organisation advancing quality education, has called for increased security personnel in schools to curb the incessant kidnappings of school children.

The Executive Director of the group, Dr Arome Salifu, made the call at a news conference on Saturday in Abuja.

Salifu, who condemned the recent abduction of school children in Kaduna and Sokoto states, also advocated for the installation of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in schools.

“AYGF condemns in strong terms, the unfortunate and continuous abduction of school children in Nigeria, with the most recent kidnapping of over 280 pupils in Kaduna state and 15 pupils in Sokoto state.

“Available reports showed that in the past 10 years, Nigeria has witnessed more than 17 mass kidnappings of school children.

“This constant abduction of children will further increase the number of out-of-school children in the country and hamper development in the education sector.

“We urge all relevant security agencies to take proactive steps to secure the safe release of all children currently in captivity,” he said.

The executive director, who sympathised with the families of the abducted children, stressed the need to provide them with emotional, psychological, and psychosocial support.

He also stressed the need to address the root causes of kidnappings, particularly poverty, and uneven educational opportunities among others.

He called on governments at all levels to ensure the implementation of Safe School Initiative, designed to ensure the safety of learners and their teachers in school. (NAN)

Edited by Philip Yatai