…Tinubu hails rescue, orders push for remaining victims
The 25 female students abducted from Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Maga in Kebbi State, have regained their freedom following a strategic intervention by federal security agencies eight days after terrorists stormed the school at dawn on November 17, killing an official and injuring a security guard.
Security sources confirmed to newsmen yesterday that all the kidnapped students had been rescued through efforts led by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Department of State Services, (DSS).
Initial reports indicated that 25 students were taken, though two managed to escape shortly after the abduction, slipping away across nearby farmland as the gunmen marched them into the bush. Authorities later confirmed 24 remained in captivity until their release yesterday.
Security sources say details of the rescue remain sketchy, but an official announcement is expected. In the days following the attack, the Police deployed additional tactical units, while military personnel and vigilante groups combed surrounding forests in a coordinated search-and-rescue mission.
Authorities said the girls’ release was achieved using a non-kinetic approach, which relies on dialogue, negotiation, and confidence-building measures rather than military force.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, had earlier directed troops of ‘Operation Fansan Yanma’ to “leave no stone unturned” in recovering the girls.
President Bola Tinubu, who had ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi to oversee operations, welcomed the news of their freedom. He also linked the attack to a wave of copycat kidnappings in Eruku, Kwara State, and Papiri in Niger State, where dozens of victims were recently freed.
“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for,” the President said. “Now we must, as a matter of urgency, put more boots on the ground in vulnerable areas to avert further incidents. My government will offer all necessary assistance”.
Tinubu also charged security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue other abducted students still held by terrorists.
Observers say the rescue underscores a shift by the Federal Government toward resolving mass abduction incidents peacefully.
