
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed “overwhelming joy” over the release of abducted Zamfara Schoolgirls.
A media aide to the president, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, quoting Buhari as saying that “I join the families and people of Zamfara State in welcoming and celebrating the release of these traumatized female students.”
He said the president was excited that the abductees’ ordeal came to a happy end without any incident, noting that “being held in captivity is an agonising experience not only for the victims but also their families and all of us.”
President reportedly warned that the time has come to reverse, completely, the grim and heartbreaking incidents of kidnapping.
He called for greater vigilance by the people so that human intelligence could be collected early enough to nip the bandits’ plans in the bud.
The President was also said to have kicked against payment of ransom, saying “Ransom payments will continue to prosper kidnapping.”
He ordered the Police and the Military to go after the kidnappers and bring them to justice.