By Deborah Hassan
President Muhammadu Buhari is not threatened by the insecurity that led to Friday’s kidnap of hundreds of schoolboys from a government secondary school in Kankara, Katsina State, the Defence Headquarters, has disclosed.
Buhari, presently in Daura, Katsina State, where he is vacationing for one week, arrived on the day the incident occurred.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, who spoke in a televised show on Arise TV on Wednesday, said the President was under protection from the activities of bandits in the state.
“One of the major tasks of the Armed Force of Nigeria is to ensure the protection of government and state actors and in that regard, the Commander-In-Chief is very safe in Katsina and anywhere that he is or will be at all times,” he stated.
A Punch report added that Enenche dismissed the claim by Boko Haram terrorist group which earlier claimed responsibility for the Kankara abduction.
Saying military operations were ongoing to secure the release of the abducted schoolboys, he disclosed, “On the basis of the characteristics of terrorists all over the world from the time of Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Al-Shabaab, all of them, wherever they will boost their ego or show relevance, that is what they will do.
“What did they even do? Somebody spoke on audio and said, ‘I am Shekau.’ Shekau on a secondary note is a brand. All that needs to be done is somebody using his voice. The total aim of terrorists is to instill fear into people even beyond their scope of influence.
“So, it is easy for the layman to agree that it is them (Boko Haram) because even if it is kidnappers or armed robbers, their aim is to instill fear and kill.”
While appealing to the parents of the abducted students to be patient, he assured that “with what the military is doing, by the grace of Almighty God, very soon, the children will be back.”
Enenche also called for more cooperation among stakeholders and the people of Katsina State to ensure the schoolboys are rescued without any record of casualty.