A group of 24 Nigerian girls abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Kebbi State over a week ago have been released, President Bola Tinubu announced. The attack occurred on 17 November when armed assailants stormed the boarding school, killing one staff member and kidnapping 25 students. One student managed to escape shortly after the incident, while the rest were held captive. The president commended the security forces for their swift response, though details about how the girls were freed remain unclear.
This latest abduction comes amid a troubling rise in kidnappings targeting schools across Nigeria, a country grappling with ongoing security challenges. Just last Friday, more than 300 children and staff were abducted from St Mary’s School, a Catholic boarding school in Niger State. While 50 have escaped, at least 250 remain missing. This incident is one of several in recent days, marked as copycat attacks, underscoring the growing threat faced by educational institutions in vulnerable regions.
President Tinubu responded to these crises by announcing that additional security personnel would be deployed to protect vulnerable areas and prevent further kidnappings. He also outlined plans for the Air Force to maintain continuous surveillance over remote regions, coordinating with ground forces to identify and neutralize hostile groups responsible for these attacks. Despite these promises, the widespread nature of the kidnappings reveals deep-rooted security issues that require urgent and sustained attention.
The Nigerian government’s efforts have drawn criticism from religious leaders and international figures. The main Catholic cleric in the affected region expressed frustration at what he described as a lack of meaningful government action to rescue the remaining abducted children. Meanwhile, UN education envoy Gordon Brown called on the global community to support Nigeria in making schools safe havens rather than targets for criminal exploitation.
The abductions have also forced President Tinubu to cancel his attendance at the recent G20 summit in South Africa, highlighting the severity of the crisis and its impact on Nigeria’s international engagements. With over 1,500 children abducted from Nigerian schools since the infamous Chibok kidnapping in 2014, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive strategy that addresses both prevention and rapid response to such threats, ensuring that Nigerian children can learn in safety and peace.
Source: Ohemaa Adusi-Poku