By THE 24 schoolgirls abducted from a school in Maga, Kebbi State, have been freed, the Presidency has announced.
In a statement on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the President welcomed the girls’ release.
President Tinubu commended the security agencies for their efforts in securing the victims’ freedom and tasked them with intensifying operations to rescue any remaining students still in captivity.
“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. We must now, as a matter of urgency, deploy more personnel to vulnerable areas to avert further kidnappings. My government will offer all necessary assistance to achieve this,” the President said.
Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, also confirmed the release, stating that no ransom was paid by either tier of government.
“No ransom was paid. The Kebbi State Government did not pay a kobo, and neither did the Federal Government. The rescue was achieved solely through the efforts of the security agencies,” the governor stated.
He expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu for his concern and for directing security agencies to secure the girls’ rescue. The children are expected to be handed over to their parents on Wednesday.
The abduction took place on the night of Sunday, 17th November, after terrorists attacked the school. The assailants killed the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, before seizing the schoolgirls.
This incident in Kebbi was part of a spate of similar kidnappings in northern Nigeria, with attacks also occurring in Eruku, Kwara State, and Papiri in Niger State.
There has been a recent surge in attacks and abductions by armed groups, particularly in northern Nigeria. The incidents in Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara are the latest in a series of mass kidnappings that have long afflicted the country.
This pattern recalls several major previous abductions, including:
· The kidnapping of 317 schoolgirls from Jangebe, Zamfara State, in February 2021.
· The abduction of students from a college in Kagara, Niger State, the same month.
· The capture of 303 students from Kankara, Katsina State, in December 2020.
· The 2018 abduction of 110 students from Dapchi, Yobe State.
· The 2014 Chibok school abduction, where nearly 200 girls were taken, which sparked global outrage.
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