Again the parents whose children were kidnapped along Zamfara highway on August 17, 2023, while travelling to Sokoto State orientation camp for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), scheme have made passionate an appeal to the Federal Government and Akwa Ibom State Government for help them rescue their wards.
Some of the affected parents who spoke to journalists after their brief meeting in Uyo expressed a lack of confidence in security agencies to rescue those prospective corps members after three months in a kidnapper’s den in Zamfara forest.
One of the parents, Mr Solomon Emmanuel was quick to point out that two of the victims (male and female) only regained their freedom after they (parents) suffered to raise the ransom the kidnappers had demanded.
“I feel so bad when the government particularly security agencies say they are doing something to rescue those children. We only hear such things in the news, but we are not seeing results. The N70m those people are demanding currently is beyond us. We cannot afford that amount of money.
“So this is the time for the government to show that they are truly doing something about rescuing our children they sent to serve their fatherland in Sokoto State and on their way were kidnapped. That is why we decided to gather today and collectively appeal to the government for help”, He said.
Another parent who identified herself as Mrs Idongesit expressed fears over the kidnapper’s threat last week that if they (parents) fail to raise the N70M ransom they would start to kill their children one after another.
“The last time I saw my daughter was at the AKTC motor park when I saw her off. That day at the motorpark I felt happy when I saw other corps members traveling with her. How could I have known that my daughter would not be safe travelling in AKTC? Till today I blame the AKTC for what happened to those children in Zamfara.
“We were told that the Driver was told not to go through that route once it is 6 pm but he didn’t listen. And after that first week the incident happened I have not been able to talk to my child again because they collected their phones from them. It hurts when I think about the punishment, and suffering those chickens are passing through in the bush.
“These days I don’t sleep, I hardly eat I spend the nights anguishing why nobody, not even our own government has abandoned us in this situation. It’s sad and painful. We (parents) are helpless and desperate because all the people we have contacted have not given us any hope.
“We have met with even the Paramount Rulers to help us reach out to the Governor but since then no feedback. I personally used other avenues like using some Governor’s Aides but I doubt if Governor Umo Eno saw those letters we wrote to him for help more than one month ago.
“And I am telling Governor Eno, our federal and state Lawmakers especially Senator Akpabio that we will not rest, we will continue to appeal to them to help bring back our children to us alive.
“Don’t let them die in Zamfara bush. We the parents are Helpless. We need your urgent support because we have just a few days to pay the ransom. There is no time.
(New Telegraph)
