Tinubu Welcomes Release of 24 Abducted Kebbi Schoolgirls, Calls for Stronger Security Measures

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed relief and appreciation following the release of the 24 schoolgirls abducted by terrorists from Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.

The girls were kidnapped at dawn on November 17, shortly after a military detachment reportedly withdrew from the school premises—an incident that has raised serious security concerns across the country.

Wave of Related Kidnappings

The Kebbi school attack sparked similar incidents in other states:

• Eruku, Kwara State: 38 victims abducted in a separate incident were freed on Sunday.
• Papiri, Niger State: Dozens of students were also taken, but the Niger State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed that 50 of the missing Catholic school students have since returned home.

Tinubu Commends Security Agencies

In a statement issued Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu commended the various security agencies for their coordinated efforts leading to the successful rescue.

“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must, as a matter of urgency, put more boots on the ground in vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping. My government will offer all the assistance needed to achieve this,” the President said.

Call for Intensified Operations

Tinubu urged security operatives to sustain and strengthen their operations to ensure the rescue of students still held captive in other parts of the country.

The terrorists who attacked the Kebbi school also killed the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, before abducting the girls—a tragedy that has drawn nationwide condemnation.