Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode has praised Nigeria’s security forces, claiming they rescued abducted schoolchildren in Niger State and intervened to stop an attempted military takeover in Benin Republic.
In a post on his X handle on Monday, Mr Fani-Kayode said about 100 pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in the Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, were rescued by Nigerian security operatives.
He wrote, “100 children that were abducted from their school in Papiri, Niger state by terrorists a couple of weeks ago were rescued by our security forces yesterday, whilst our Armed Forces saved democracy in Benin Republic by sending fighter jets to bomb the hell out of a group of mutinous soldiers who had staged a coup.’’
The former minister also claimed that Nigerian ground troops were deployed through land borders, with personnel drawn from army battalions in Ikorodu and Badagry in Lagos State, as well as Owode in Ogun State.
He added, “Apart from bombarding the rebel forces via air operations, our ground forces were also mobilised across land borders, drawing personnel from army battalions in Ikorodu, Badagry, and Owode in Ogun State, to prevent the forceful takeover in Benin Republic, forcing the mutineers to retreat from strategic locations, including the national broadcaster and a major military camp where they had regrouped.’’
News reports by TVC News and Channels Television on Sunday indicated that the Federal Government secured the release of 100 pupils abducted from the school.
Gunmen had attacked the Papiri community on November 21, arriving on motorbikes around 2 am and operating for nearly three hours.
They abducted 315 persons, including 303 pupils and 12 teachers.
About 50 pupils escaped within the first 24 hours and were reunited with their families, leaving 265 victims in captivity.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, visited Papiri last week, telling school authorities and parents that the abducted pupils would return and were safe.
Federal authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the reported rescue as of press time.
