Nigeria: IGP Visits Kebbi As Outrage Grows Over Schoolgirls’ Abduction, Alleged Security Lapses

The police chief meets Governor Idris amid escalating pressure on Abuja to rescue the abducted Maga schoolgirls, following claims that security operatives ignored warning intelligence before the attack.

Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has arrived in Kebbi State amid mounting public anger and government pressure over the abduction of 25 students from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga.

Mr Egbetokun’s visit comes at a critical juncture. He is scheduled to meet with Governor Nasir Idris and deliver a briefing to police officers in the state capital.

However, more than symbolic reassurance, his presence signals the federal authorities’ resolve to salvage a rescue operation that has become deeply politicised.

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Rescue operation under intense pressure

The school raid, at around 4 a.m. on November 17, has dug a hole in Nigerians’ confidence in the security architecture. Gunmen reportedly scaled the school perimeter, engaged police in a gunfight, and abducted 25 female students from their dormitory.

Tragically, the school’s vice principal, Hassan Makuku, was shot and killed, reportedly while trying to shield the students. His death has become a rallying point for outrage.

The federal government, through the Minister of Information, has said security and intelligence agencies have been “issued clear directives” to locate and rescue the girls, and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Tactical units from the police, combined with military forces and local vigilantes, are reportedly combing forests and known bandit routes.

Accusations of Security Lapses and “Sabotage”

Governor Idris has been vocal, alleging a security betrayal. He claims that credible intelligence — allegedly from the State Security Service (SSS) — warned of an imminent attack, but that operatives abandoned their posts just before the raid.

According to a teacher present at the school, heavily armed security personnel were on site the night before, socialising with students, only to withdraw shortly before dawn.

Mr Idris has since established a special investigation panel, to be chaired by the SSS State Director, to probe what he calls a “security failure” and coordinate rescue efforts.

The abduction has sparked a wave of condemnation, including from women’s rights groups.

The Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW) coalition denounced the raid as a “brutal indictment” of the Nigerian government’s failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), led by the Sultan of Sokoto, also rebuked the security agencies, calling the attack “heartless, tragic and utterly avoidable.”

They noted that the raid occurred despite a major security summit held in Birnin Kebbi only days earlier, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of pre-emptive protection for schools.

A PREMIUM TIMES editorial on Monday argues that the incident underscores a broader and troubling pattern: repeated, preventable kidnappings that expose deep structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency approach.

Federal response and political stakes

President Bola Tinubu has been closely engaged. The IGP’s visit follows a meeting the previous Sunday between the President and key security chiefs, including the Chief of Defence Staff and heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the DSS.

On his part, Vice President Kashim Shettima, speaking from Kebbi, pledged that “every instrument of the state” would be mobilised to rescue the girls and bring the attackers to account.

His remarks came amid assurances to the anguished parents and the wider public, even as political critics demand accountability.

The bigger picture

This is not the first time Kebbi State has been the scene of a mass school abduction. In June 2021, more than 100 students and staff were kidnapped from a government school in Birnin Yauri, with some released only after months, and reportedly after ransom payments.

Security analysts warn that recurring incidents like this reflect not only the strategic depth of armed groups in the region, but also alarming lapses in preventive security mechanisms.

Mr Egbetokun’s visit to Kebbi indicates how seriously the federal government is treating the Maga abduction.

But with credible claims that intelligence warnings went unheeded and security personnel pulled back just before the attack, Nigerians are asking hard questions: How many more warnings must be ignored? And when will institutional failures give way to real accountability?

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