Anxieties continue to rise in Kebbi State as 25 schoolgirls abducted by armed bandits remain in captivity, prompting intensified rescue operations and mounting pressure on security agencies to secure their safe return.
The schoolgirls were kidnapped during an early-morning raid on a government secondary school located in one of the state’s vulnerable rural communities. Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers arrived shooting sporadically before rounding up the girls and escaping into the forest.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already ordered a full-scale rescue mission, directing the military, police, DSS, and local security outfits to work collaboratively. According to federal security sources, tactical units are combing forest corridors linking Kebbi, Zamfara, Niger, and Sokoto States, areas notorious for bandit hideouts and difficult terrain.
Parents and community members have continued to gather at the school premises, expressing deep fear and emotional distress. Many have urged authorities not to allow the tragic pattern of prolonged school abductions to repeat itself.
Civil society groups, including education advocates, have condemned the attack as a threat to girls’ education in northern Nigeria, stressing that repeated school abductions are fueling dropout rates, trauma, and community displacement.
Kebbi State Government has assured families that everything is being done to bring the girls home safely, while religious and traditional leaders have called for prayers and calm as rescue operations progress.
Sources
Channels Television — security updates and state government reaction
Daily Trust — eyewitness accounts and community response
Premium Times — presidency statement and rescue directive
BBC Africa — regional background on school abductions
