24 abducted schoolgirls rescued in Nigeria
SOKOTO, Nigeria—All 24 schoolgirls held by assailants following a mass abduction last week from a school in northwestern Nigeria have been rescued, the country’s president announced on Tuesday.
A total of 25 girls were abducted on Nov. 17 from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi state’s Maga town, but one of them was able to escape the same day, the school’s principal said. The remaining 24 were all rescued, according to a statement from President Bola Tinubu, though no details were released about the rescue.
“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,” the statement quoted Tinubu as saying.
The attack in Kebbi was among a spate of recent mass abductions in Nigeria, including a raid on Friday on the Saint Mary’s School in north-central Niger state in which more than 300 students and staff from the Catholic school were abducted. Fifty students escaped over the weekend.
Tough for families
Musa Rabi Magaji, principal of the primarily Muslim school in Kebbi, told The Associated Press (AP) that all of the girls had been released but that they were still in the custody of authorities. He had no immediate details of their condition.
Abdulkarim Abdullahi, whose two daughters aged 12 and 13 were among those abducted, said authorities told him the girls were being taken to the state capital of Birnin Kebbi.
“I am excited to receive the news of their freedom, the past few days have been difficult for me and my family, especially their mother,” Abdullahi said in a telephone interview. “I will wait to see from the government about their well-being, but I can’t wait to see them in good health.”
Gangs of bandits
On Tuesday, police said gunmen abducted 10 people in a community in central Nigeria’s Kwara state. The state’s police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said the attack took place in the village of Isapa, which is only 19 kilometers from Eruku, where 38 worshippers were kidnapped during a deadly church attack last week. The 38 have since been freed, Kwara Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said in a statement on Sunday.
No group has claimed responsibility for the recent abductions, but analysts and locals say gangs of bandits often target schools, travelers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransoms. The gangs have used kidnapping for ransom as one way of dominating remote communities with little government and security presence.
