On Tuesday, Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, confirmed that the schoolgirls seized during last week’s abduction in the country’s northwest have all been rescued.
The attack took place on November 17 at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, located in Kebbi state. Twenty-five students were taken, though one managed to escape almost immediately, according to the school’s principal. President Tinubu said the remaining 24 were rescued, but his statement did not offer specifics about how the operation transpired.
Tinubu expressed gratitude that the ordeal had ended. “I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must put as a matter of urgency more boots on the ground in the vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping,” he stated.
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The abduction in Kebbi was one of several high-profile kidnappings in recent days. On Friday, armed men burst into Saint Mary’s School in Niger state and carried off more than 300 students and staff from the Catholic institution. Fifty of those students later escaped.
Musa Rabi Magaji, principal of the Kebbi school, told The Associated Press that all the girls were now out of captivity, though they remained in the hands of authorities. He said he had no immediate information about their physical condition.
Families, meanwhile, waited anxiously for news. Abdulkarim Abdullahi, father of two girls aged 12 and 13 who were among the abducted, said he was told the students were being taken to Birnin Kebbi, the state capital. “I am excited to receive the news of their freedom, the past few days have been difficult for me and my family, especially their mother,” Abdullahi said in a phone interview. “I will wait to see from the government about their wellbeing, but I can’t wait to see them in good health.”
New violence emerged Tuesday in central Nigeria. Police reported that gunmen seized 10 people in Isapa, a community in Kwara state located just 19 kilometers from Eruku, where 38 worshippers were kidnapped during a deadly church attack last week. Those 38 have since been released, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said.
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No group has taken responsibility for the recent string of abductions. Residents and security analysts say criminal gangs, often described locally as bandits, frequently target travelers, schools and rural communities to extract ransom payments. Many of these groups are believed to be former herders who armed themselves after years of conflict with farmers over dwindling resources.
Nigeria has faced a long and painful pattern of school abductions, which have become one of the country’s most visible security challenges. Armed groups often view schools as “strategic” targets that draw national and international attention. Since the well-known Chibok kidnapping more than a decade ago, at least 1,500 students have been abducted across the country, with many released only after ransom agreements.
The crisis continues as U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, though attacks have hit both Christian and Muslim communities. Arrests remain rare, and ransom payments continue to be common across northern regions where security is thin and government presence is limited.
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