A northern advocacy organization has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, and the Nigerian armed forces for the swift rescue of 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.
The Northern Security and Civic Protection Forum (NSCPF) said in a statement released on Tuesday and signed by its president, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Ma’aruf, that the federal government’s handling of the incident demonstrated unusual decisiveness and clear direction.
The students were taken from their hostels by armed bandits on November 17 and regained their freedom on November 25 after sustained military pressure forced their captors to abandon them in the forests.
Dr. Al-Ma’aruf explained that President Tinubu’s directive ordering Matawalle to relocate immediately to Kebbi transformed the pace and urgency of the rescue mission.
“From the moment President Tinubu ordered the minister of state for defence to move to Kebbi and assume personal oversight of operations, the tempo changed,” the statement read.
The advocacy group noted that Matawalle’s presence on the ground brought renewed momentum to security units operating across the northwest region.
“His Excellency, Bello Matawalle, arrived with a clear mandate and deep personal knowledge of the terrain, having confronted similar security challenges during his years as governor of Zamfara,” the statement said. “What followed was an intense, closely coordinated multi-agency assault that left the bandits with no safe corridor to escape with the girls. The sustained bombardments over several days created pressure they could not withstand.”
The NSCPF described the government’s approach as a departure from the “slow and reactive security posture Nigerians had become familiar with in the past,” asserting that the rescue proved the armed forces possess the strategic capacity to dismantle criminal networks when supported by firm political will.
“For four straight days, the military maintained air and ground pressure on the kidnappers’ hideouts. It was this level of intensity that forced the criminals to abandon the girls. What the armed forces have done is not just a rescue; it is a statement of authority,” the statement continued.
The group applauded President Tinubu for sending “a clear signal that schoolchildren are a red line for this administration,” stressing that his prompt action prevented what could have spiraled into a prolonged national crisis.
Dr. Al-Ma’aruf called on the federal government to sustain operations against bandit groups and ensure lasting stability across Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, and Kaduna states. He emphasized that the success of the rescue should serve as the starting point for continuous offensive against those who prey on children.
The NSCPF urged authorities to provide trauma support and reintegration programs for the rescued girls as they return home.
“With this rescue, the government has restored hope. Now it must consolidate by ensuring no child in northern Nigeria ever has to face such terror again,” the group stated.
The successful rescue of the Kebbi schoolgirls stands in stark contrast to the ongoing crisis in Niger State, where over 250 students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School remain in captivity nearly a week after their abduction on November 21, despite similar security operations being deployed.
The Presidency revealed on Monday that security agencies established direct communication with bandits who abducted 38 church members in Kwara State, negotiating their release after five days. However, no similar breakthrough has been reported regarding the hundreds still held in Niger State.
