CAN condemns NECO for not allowing freed Bethel Baptist students write exams

For allegedly not allowing the abducted students of Bethel Baptist High School Kaduna who regained their freedom from bandits, to write their final exams, the Christian Association of Nigeria has expressed dismay saying what NECO did as a national exam body, was shameful.

The Vice-chairman of CAN ( North) and its Chairman in Kaduna state, Rev. Joseph John Hayab, told Vanguard in an interview that the students had missed their WAEC and NECO final exams while in kidnappers den due to no fault of theirs.

According to him, “these children missed their WAEC, they couldn’t write their WAEC. The Bethel Baptist High School students couldn’t write their internal WAEC, they couldn’t write NECO…Sadly, one of the most painful things is that we reached out to NECO and WAEC and said our children…didn’t commit any crime, they were only taken away by bandits…what can we do since a large number of these children have come back, to write November-December external GCE as external candidates, so that these children would have some sense that, someone cares for them.”

“We must give credit to WAEC, WAEC graciously agreed that we should bring these children who paid for the internal exams and they now made them do a formal registration and capturing, and they are writing the November-December WAEC. as I speak now”.

“But NECO that is a national examination body, didn’t even care about all our pleads. She knows what we are going through. How do you want these children to grow tomorrow and serve Nigeria if a national body that belongs to the Nigerian government will not treat them with love, will not treat them with care? Will not treat them with an understanding of their own?

“So we felt shame on NECO for not showing concern to us. Because that shows that this whole thing we’ve complained about Nigeria will continue. At this time of our need, we suppose to have the care of these examination bodies. But NECO never shows love.”

Speaking further, Rev John Hayab spoke on the plight of Christians, particularly those who suffered due to acts of bandits in the state and accused the authorities of not doing much to free their abducted members.

He said:  “I actually call you to inform you that people don’t know that 4 of our children are still with the bandits. But 2 days ago the bandits released one boy out of the 4 Bethel Baptist High School students, that are with them. Actually, they released the Head boy because the Head boy has refused to come back in all the releases. That boy is worth celebrating, that boy is really if at his age he can display that kind of leadership, we are so impressed. But he has fallen terribly ill because of the long time they’ve been in the bush. So the bandits had to put pressure on us, for another money. They insist that for the 4 people we must pay a fresh 5 million per person. “

 

“But when we made efforts and almost that 5 million was given to them, then they released only the Head boy who actually is weak and down. He has tried, he has refused, that it is only when every student is back, he cannot leave but because of ill health, he had to be released but we had to play money. “

“Nigerians need to know that our students are still with these bandits. The Bethel Baptist High School students have not come back all, 3 are still with them now since they have released the Head boy. They are demanding from us N5 million per Head for the remaining 3. We have paid them a huge sum of money but look at how they are treating us.

“This makes us ask questions. All this shutting down of network, what has happened to it? Have we not used it to track criminals? Have we not used it that these bandits could still keep our 4 children by demanding money from us? Because our understanding is they would’ve  been able to track them.”

“So they came up with an unpopular policy that is just punishing citizens and is not bringing any succour to the people. Look at what we are back to, now. So this is the challenge we face. As I speak to you, the bandits that took away the 66 worshippers at Emmanuel Baptist Church Kakau Daji, a week after, they took them on 31st of October, and you will remember on the 6th, Sunday was 31st October, then on the 6th of November, they now picked 5 young people between the ages of 15 to 24, as if they were to release them, not knowing that they had an evil intention.

When they came near home., they opened fire on all of them. Two died, one later died. So we buried 3, and the other 2 who sustained gun injuries are still been treated. But the 61 are with them in the bush and nothing has happened.”

“They asked us to give them food, we did. First, they even refused the food, they later accepted it. Then they are demanding N99 million from us for those 61 people that are there with them in the bush. So where is the security that is working to fish out these criminals? That is the question we are asking.

Where is the security that is working to fish out these criminals? They’ve done videos, the first video they were showing them and put an old man to speak and one other speaker. In the second video they showed them, they even sarcastically said the 2 videos, “let the world see these are Christians, they are Christians. They forced the people to be saying that they are angry with the government, “, but we are the ones suffering the brunt. Christians and Southern Kaduna people. If I pass the video to you, you can listen to it very clearly. I am translating what was said in the video.”

“So what’s going on? Is security no more? When there was a kidnapping on Abuja road few days ago, the police and others quickly went. So where have they been that this thing is happening and nothing is happening? From the 31st of October to today, these people have spent 26 days in the hands of these bandits and no effort whatsoever. Our children have over 150 days in the hands of the bandits and no effort whatsoever.

We are paying money and there is nothing. We rejoice that our Head boy is back but we are sad because of the other 3 and we are sad because of the experience that these whole children are going through, throughout this period.

That’s why I said I needed to share the concern of the church with you people so that Nigerians would know that our children are not yet back. If anybody is thinking that all is well about Bethel Baptist High School children, now we still have 3. We just got…and they are demanding about 5 million again, per head. What we got to give them, which was almost N5 million, they just released one person. They are still insisting on 5 for each person.”

“Okay, what’s the result of all these punishments that Kaduna state people are going through? That the network has been shut down and no practical result to show that criminals have been arrested? They showed us some videos sometimes ago, pictures of Fulani settlement, claiming to be the bandit’s settlement that has been chased..But our people are still with the bandits, somewhere here, what’s goings-on? How would bandits carry 66 people, now 61 people and they’re moving and nobody seems to know where they are? Nobody is doing anything?

So that government or security agencies must go out there and get our 61 worshippers of Emmanuel Baptist Church released if truly there is something going on..Or else we would even think they are conniving with the people and making propaganda in the media that they are working.

This is because we cannot understand, 61 people at the time there’s no network, if 300 soldiers are put in a particular place, they would fish out their bandits and bring our people.

What is happening, why the silence? Why is everybody keeping quiet about our people who are in the hands of the bandits? Why is everybody keeping quiet about our children who are suffering? These young children !! How can you expect these children to come tomorrow and want to serve Nigeria haven gone through this?” Vanguard