By Luminous Jannamike

The National Unity Forum (NUF) has commended the nation’s security forces for the successful rescue of 20 medical students kidnapped on August 15, 2024, along the Otukpo-Enugu road in Benue State.

The students were rescued without the payment of ransom, a development hailed as a soothing relief by the NUF.

The Forum’s National Coordinator, Hon. Godwin Meliga, said in Abuja on Monday: “The safe rescue of the victims without the payment of a dime as ransom to kidnappers was a soothing relief not just to their families, friends and colleagues, but to the entire nation.

“The successful rescue of the 20 medical students and others held by kidnappers for over one week at the Ntonkon forest in Ado Local Government of Benue State is a practical proof of the immense prospects of winning the war on insecurity in Nigeria through effective inter-agency collaboration.

“We proudly commend the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Service, and the military and other statutory security forces that played frontline roles in the daring rescue operation. We specially appreciate the Office of the National Security Adviser for the swift deployment of all the requisite human, technical and logistical resources towards the successful prosecution of the rescue operation.

“Working together, we can build a safer and more prosperous Nigeria for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children.”