Urgent rescue of abducted schoolgirls

The attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State that led to the killing of the vice-principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and abduction of 25 students, has shown the enormity of our security challenges. Fortunately, one of the abducted students later escaped and reunited with her family. Armed men had reportedly stormed the school, on November 17 and carried out the attack. The spokesman of the Kebbi State Police Command, CSP Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, said the attackers had invaded the school and engaged police personnel on duty in a gun duel, stressing that despite the resistance, the bandits scaled the school’s perimeter fence and abducted the students from their hostel. 

However, other sources said the bandits operated without resistance and caused widespread panic, throwing the entire area into deep fear and mourning. Sadly, vice- principal was shot dead while attempting to protect the students during the invasion. The Kebbi incident took place barely two days after 16 vigilante members were killed and 42 residents kidnapped by bandits in the Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State. Also, on Saturday, bandits attacked Fegin Baza village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing three persons and abducting 64 others.

In another attack on Sunday, bandits invaded Tsohuwar Tasha village in the Ruwan Doruwa Ward of Maru Local Government, abducting 14 people, including 11 women and three children. On the same day, bandits abducted several passengers along the Ogobia–Adoka Road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.

We condemn the abduction of schoolgirls, the killing of the Vice Principal in Kebbi State and other attacks in other parts of the country. The federal government must begin to address the root causes of insecurity, which include unemployment, poverty, alienation and social inequality. Let the federal government step up efforts to rescue the abducted 25 schoolgirls as it has promised. Their rescue should not be allowed to linger like those of Chibok schoolgirls, Dapchi and others.

Apart from vowing to rescue the abducted female students, the federal government has through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, assured Nigerians that protecting every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren, remains a solemn responsibility of President Bola Tinubu and the state. The security and intelligence agencies, he said, have been issued clear directives to locate, rescue, and safely return the students, and to ensure that the perpetrators face justice. He stressed that the federal government will not relent until this objective is achieved.

Nigerians expect prompt rescue of the abducted female students. The abduction of the Kebbi students is a sad reminder of others before it. These abductions depict the worrisome dimension of insecurity in the country. About 276 schoolgirls were abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary school, Chibok, Borno State in 2014. Similarly, not less than 110 students were abducted the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State, in 2018. Also in 2020, over 300 pupils were kidnapped from a boys’ secondary boarding school on the outskirts of Kankara, Katsina State. In 2024, about 200 students were abducted from their school in Kuriga, Kaduna State.

The government should prioritize the safety of school children throughout the country. No child should suffer the trauma of abduction. Every Nigerian child has the right to go to school. Such a right must not be circumscribed by bandits and kidnappers. Anything that undermines that inalienable right of the child should be tackled. Taking the children hostage discourages education, especially in the North that is already educationally disadvantaged. With the recurrent abduction of school children, the number of out-of-school children is bound to escalate.

Government must ensure that the kidnapped students in Kebbi State are released forthwith. The government must free them from the bandits’ captivity. As clearly stated in our 1999 Constitution, the primary function of the government is the security and the welfare of the people. On no account should the government abdicate this onerous responsibility. In fact, the government must not fail to protect the citizens.

The economy cannot grow in an atmosphere of rising insecurity. Foreign and local investors will also be discouraged to invest in uncertain environment. Tourism will equally be affected as tourists will be afraid to visit an insecure place. Rising insecurity is among the reasons President Donald Trump of the United States recently designated Nigeria, a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). Therefore, President Bola Tinubu must tackle the nation’s security challenges headlong. All factors fueling insecurity in the country must be frontally tackled. The security agencies’ capacity to tackle the challenge must be significantly boosted.

We need drones, AI and other technological devices to enhance our security architecture. There is also the need for enhanced intelligence gathering and sharing among security agencies in the country to check the menace. The government should adequately police our porous borders. The use of drones to effectively check our borders has become imperative. Tightening security at our land borders will drastically reduce the influx of foreign invaders and largely curb the incessant abduction of school children. Let the security agencies wake up to the challenge.