Schoolgirls Abduction: There Is Need To Intensify Defense Of Schools And Other Soft Targets—Hon. Wakil

The Minister of State for Power, Honourable Mohammed Wakil has said the abduction of 129 female students last Tuesday at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok has necessitated the need for appropriate measures to be put in place for the defense of soft targets such as schools and hospitals among others from terrorist attacks.

The Minister, who in a statement on Sunday lamented the abduction of female students from their schools, said this cannot be allowed to be repeated and as such adequate measures need to be immediately put in place to check against this evil act.

Wakil while condemning the increasing assaults on innocents students as inhuman and unislamic, insisted that "attacking women and children as part of a soft target strategy is both condemnable and reprehensible."

The minister, in the statement he signed shortly after returning back to the country from an official assignment outside the shore of Nigeria, called for "concerted efforts to secure the release of remaining female students and a new strategy to contain attacks on soft targets such as schools and hospitals.

He said: "We must now pay close attention to schools ,hospitals and other soft targets. As the insurgents are now avoiding well defended hard targets, we should design new approach to securing identified soft targets."

The minister, who sympathized, with families of the kidnapped female students, advised that "an inventory of likely soft targets should be taken by relevant authorities and contingent plans should be prepared to secure likely exit routes in cases of successful attacks."

"An alarm and warning system should be put in place in all likely soft targets across the conflict areas. This system will trigger early response and nip in the bud planned attacks as was the case of the foiled plans to attack the NNPC mega stations on Damboa -Biu Road", Wakil said.

He however appealed to insurgents to lay down their arms and enter into negotiation with the government for amicable resolution of whatever grievances.

The minister who is an indigene of Borno state, the hotbed of the Boko Haram crisis, lamented that the persistence of the "conflict is inflicting enormous damage on the Kanuri nation.