ALL 24 KEBBI SCHOOLGIRLS RESCUED AFTER MASS ABDUCTION By our Special Correspondent. All 24 students abducted last week from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State have been rescued, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced on Tuesday, bringing an end to eight days of anguish for families and renewing urgent calls for stronger security across northern Nigeria. The abduction occurred on 17 November when armed men stormed the boarding school at night, seizing 25 girls and fleeing into the surrounding forest. One student managed to escape shortly after the attack, while the remaining 24 were taken away by the assailants. Their release was confirmed in a statement issued by the presidency, though authorities have not yet disclosed details of the rescue operation. “I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for,” President Tinubu said, directing security agencies to reinforce troop presence in vulnerable communities. “We must urgently put more boots on the ground to avert further incidents of kidnapping.” At the school in Maga, where empty dormitory bunks had become a painful reminder of the attack, news of the girls’ rescue brought a wave of cautious relief. The school principal, Musa Rabi Magaji, confirmed that although the students had regained freedom, they remained in security custody for medical assessment and debriefing. “We are waiting to know their condition,” he said. For parents like Abdulkarim Abdullahi, whose two daughters aged 12 and 13 were among those abducted, the last week has been one of unbearable anxiety. “The past few days have been difficult for me and my family, especially their mother,” he said in a phone interview. “I am excited to receive the news of their freedom… I cannot wait to see them in good health.” The Kebbi incident is one of several mass abductions that have shaken Nigeria in recent days. On Friday, more than 300 students and staff were seized during a raid on St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, one of the largest school kidnappings in years, reports though, said 50 captives managed to escape over the weekend. However, the kidnapping saga of Niger is being disputed by the state government. In Kwara State, 38 worshippers abducted during a deadly attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku have also regained freedom, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq confirmed on Sunday. No group has claimed responsibility for the spate of kidnappings. However, security analysts point to heavily armed bandit gangs. Operating in forests and remote settlements with minimal state presence, these gangs have turned kidnapping for ransom into a lucrative enterprise and a tool of arson and murder. Over the last decade, school abductions have become one of the most troubling symbols of Nigeria’s deepening insecurity. More than 1,500 students have been kidnapped since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ tragedy, with many released only after ransom payments. Weak security infrastructure, porous rural communities and limited law enforcement presence continue to enable these attacks. The recent rise in school kidnappings has also drawn international attention. US President Donald Trump has claimed that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted, though recent incidents, including the Kebbi and Niger attacks—have affected families of different faiths, just like in other several incidents. Analysts warn that Nigeria’s security landscape, shaped by banditry, insurgency, farmer-herder clashes and communal violence, remains too complex for simplistic interpretations. While the rescue of the Kebbi schoolgirls offers a moment of relief, it reinforces an urgent national question: how many more children must be taken before Nigeria secures its schools and rural communities?

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