Twenty-Four Kebbi Schoolgirls Freed After a Week in Captivity
Twenty-four students abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, have been safely released after spending seven days in captivity.
The students were taken on 17 November when armed men attacked the school in the early hours, shortly after a military detachment had withdrawn from the area. The incident renewed public concern over the persistent threats to school safety across Nigeria’s North-West.
In a statement on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu confirmed the safe return of the students and commended the efforts of security agencies in securing their release.
“I am relieved that all 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must put as a matter of urgency 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,” he said.
The Kebbi abduction is part of a continuing trend of school kidnappings, which has persisted since the 2014 Chibok incident, forcing several states, including Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger, to close schools in high-risk areas.
While the search for the Kebbi schoolgirls was ongoing, another attack occurred on 21 November at St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School in Niger State, where armed men seized students and teachers in a predawn raid.
A 2023 report by Save the Children indicated that more than 1,680 students and teachers have been kidnapped from schools across Nigeria since 2014, with northern states most affected.
The safe return of the Kebbi schoolgirls highlights the fundamental right of every child to life, security, and education. Beyond the right to learn, children also have the right not to be kidnapped, harmed, or deprived of their safety.
Ensuring schools are secure and free from violence is essential for every Nigerian child to live, learn, and grow without fear, and for the nation to uphold its duty to protect the most vulnerable.
