Kano attack: Shekarau visits victims, shuns Kwankwaso

The Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, on Thursday led a Federal Government delegation to commiserate with the victims of the insurgent attack at the Federal College of Education, Kano.

Though he failed to pay a courtesy visit to the incumbent state Governor, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, he, however, met the Emir of Kano, Malam Sanusi Lamido at the Murtala Muhammed Specialists Hospital, Kano. The monarch had also visited the hospital to sympathize with the victims

Shekarau, while speaking at the FCE, Kano, directed heads of tertiary institutions across the country to ensure maximum security in their schools to check possible attacks by hoodlums.

During Wednesday’s attack, over 15 students were killed while 34 were injured.

“The issue of security is not the affairs of only the Federal, state or local governments or communities but the responsibility of everybody,” he said.

Other dignitaries in the Federal Government team included former governors of Jigawa and Kebbi states, Senator Ibrahim Saminu Turaki and Senator Adamu Aleiro respectively, the senator representing Kano central, Bashir Lado , the chief executive, National Commission for Colleges of Education, Prof. Muhammed Junaid, and the representative of the Inspector General of Police, DIG Wakama.

Shekarau expressed the hope that security agencies would continue to give useful advice to schools on how to ensure maximum security in schools.

He said, “We hope heads of various schools across the country will come up with some stringent measures for maximum security in their respective schools and it is unfortunate that the trend we are witnessing is that institutions of learning are being targeted.

“But I believe this incident will not deter our people from pursuing their studies.”

He also condoled with the members of staff, students and management of the college before the team went to visit the victims in the hospital.

Earlier, the Provost of the FCE , Dr. Rabi Jibrila, had narrated the ordeals of the college community in the hands of the insurgents to the delegation.

Meanwhile, the Kano State Government and the Emir of Kano, HRH Sunusi Muhammad II, have urged the college community not to be discouraged by the attack.

Rather they said they should summon courage to return back to school so that the terrorists would not achieve their aims of discouraging them from acquiring education.

Also, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll-led Jama’atu Nasril Islam on Thursday commiserated with families of victims of the blast, describing the incident as “senseless killing of innocent students.”

The JNI in a statement by its Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, on behalf of the Sultan said, “This barbaric and callous attack is condemnable in its entirety and it will always demand for questions on what exactly the perpetrators want.”

The statement added, “The blast is very worrisome and calls for practical investigation which must bring the perpetrators to face the wrath of the law and find ways and means of stopping future occurrence of such devilish act.”