Abia State Government has intensified efforts to secure the release of two primary school pupils allegedly abducted in Umuosu-Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, retired Navy Commander MacDonald Ubah, gave the assurance while responding to questions during a press briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
Ubah assured residents that security agencies were working tirelessly to ensure the safe return of the children, describing the incident as a case of child trafficking.
According to him, the incident occurred on Friday after school hours when five pupils boarded a commercial tricycle to their various destinations.
He explained that three of the children were dropped off, while the remaining two were allegedly taken away by the tricycle operator.
“The state government is fully aware of the incident and has activated all necessary security measures to ensure the safe rescue of the children.
“We initially acted on intelligence that the victims had been taken to Ngor Okpala in Imo State, but the information later turned out to be false”, he said.
The security adviser disclosed that the Commissioner of Police in Abia had established contact with his counterparts in neighbouring states to broaden the ongoing search operations.
He expressed optimism that the children would be found, recalling a similar incident in Ikwuano Local Government Area during the current administration in which abducted pupils were successfully rescued after being traced to Warri and Onitsha.
Ubah reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to protecting lives and ensuring that those responsible for the abduction are brought to justice.
