President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed the release of the 24 schoolgirls abducted by terrorists in Maga, Kebbi State, last Monday, while directing security agencies to intensify operations to free all remaining victims still in captivity.
The girls, who were seized at dawn on November 17 shortly after a military detachment departed the school premises, regained freedom on Tuesday after days of coordinated search-and-rescue efforts.
Their abduction sparked a spate of copycat kidnappings in Eruku, Kwara State and Papiri in Niger State.
All 38 worshippers abducted in Eruku were rescued on Sunday.
On the same day, the Niger chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) disclosed that 50 of the abducted 315 students and staff members of the Catholic School in Papiri, Niger, returned home to their families.
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Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, commended security operatives for “all the efforts made to secure freedom for all the victims taken away by the terrorists.”
The President, however, urged the security forces not to relent, insisting that those still being held must be rescued without delay.
“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must put as a matter of urgency more boots on the ground in the vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping. My government will offer all the assistance needed to achieve this,” Tinubu said.
The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to securing every community across the country, assuring citizens that the government would continue to strengthen counter-terrorism operations to prevent future attacks.