Chinedum Treasure
Labour Party (LP) candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, Ven.ochukwu Ikezue, has called on Federal Government and Nigerian military to intensify efforts to rescue children and other Nigerians still being held by kidnappers across the country.
In a statement made available to journalists, Ikezue expressed concern over what he described as growing tendency to shift national attention away from the plight of abducted victims.
He warned that many families have been left to endure prolonged agony while public discourse focuses on political controversies and other issues.
The LP candidate particularly lamented continued captivity of children abducted during the May 15 attack on schools in Oyo State, saying the victims appear to have been forgotten despite the enduring trauma by their families.
According to him, the protection of lives and the rescue of citizens in captivity should remain the government’s foremost responsibility.
“Let our military forces prove critics wrong. Let the government focus on rescuing captives. Those children abducted since May 15 are still in the custody of bandits, yet it seems everyone has forgotten them while attention is being diverted to other matters,” he said.
Ikezue urged the nation’s security agencies to intensify intelligence-driven operations to secure the safe release of all those still in captivity and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s security architecture.
He noted that the challenge of mass abductions is not limited to one part of the country, recalling incidents in Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states where schoolchildren and residents have been kidnapped by armed groups in recent years.
He also referenced the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State, observing that while many have regained their freedom over the years, some are still missing more than a decade after the incident.
He added that several victims of more recent mass kidnappings across the country also remain unaccounted for.
While maintaining that rescuing abductees should take precedence over political distractions, the LP senatorial hopeful insisted that every Nigerian deserved to live without fear of abduction.
He called on the Federal Government to strengthen collaboration among the military, police, intelligence agencies and local communities to dismantle kidnapping networks and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
According to him, the success of ongoing security operations should be measured not only by the arrest or elimination of criminal elements but also by the safe return of innocent citizens still being held captive.
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