President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed security and intelligence agencies to urgently rescue 25 female students abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSSS) in Maga, Kebbi State.
The school was attacked in the early hours of Sunday by armed gunmen who killed Vice Principal Malam Hassan Makuku while he tried to protect the students. The assailants then kidnapped the girls, sending shockwaves through the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area and leaving the community in deep mourning.
Kebbi Police spokesman, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed that a manhunt for the attackers is underway.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said President Tinubu had ordered a high-level operation to locate and safely return the abducted pupils. “President Tinubu has reiterated that protecting every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren, remains a solemn responsibility of the State,” Idris said. “Security and intelligence agencies have been given clear directives to rescue the pupils and ensure the perpetrators face justice.”
The minister added that the Federal Government is strengthening cooperation with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU), and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to secure Nigeria’s borders and dismantle terrorist networks. He also noted that the government is recalibrating military, policing, and intelligence capacities to prevent attacks and respond more quickly to threats.
Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, condemned the attack, calling it unacceptable, and urged all security agencies to act swiftly and in coordination to ensure the safe release of the abducted students. “President Tinubu has directed that the state’s security apparatus swing into immediate action to ensure the abducted students are released unharmed,” he said, advising residents to remain calm as authorities handle the situation.
Matawalle extended condolences to the family of the late vice principal and all families affected by the attack.
