The 24 schoolgirls who were abducted from Government Girls Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, have been rescued, security sources confirmed to TheCable on Tuesday.
While details of the operation that led to their release remain sparse, officials are expected to provide a formal statement later tonight.
The abduction occurred on November 17, when bandits attacked the school, killing a staff member and injuring a security guard before abducting 25 female students.
According to a BBC report, two of the girls managed to escape. Quoting Hussaini Aliyu, an official from Danko Wasagu LGA, the BBC noted that the students fled while being led into the bush by the abductors, making their way across farmland to safety.
On November 19, Hussaini Aliyu, chairman of Danko/Wasagu LGA in Kebbi, released the names of the 25 kidnapped schoolgirls.
The list, obtained by TheCable, is organised according to class categories.
Following the attack, Bello Sani, Kebbi’s commissioner of police, stated that additional police tactical units, together with military personnel and vigilante groups, were deployed in the area.
“The combined team is combing suspected escape routes and surrounding forests in a coordinated search-and-rescue operation aimed at recovering the abducted students and apprehending the perpetrators,” Sani said.
Waidi Shaibu, chief of army staff, has also directed troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA to leave no stone unturned in the ongoing search-and-rescue mission for the kidnapped students.
President Bola Tinubu further instructed Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence, to relocate to Kebbi to oversee efforts to secure the release of the abducted girls.
“Tinubu ordered Matawalle to move to the state ‘to monitor security efforts to secure the release of the abducted students,’” officials said.
