‘Clear Sabotage’: Outrage grows over Kebbi school abduction as governor blames security negligence

Governor Nasir Idris alleges that security operatives withdrew from their duty posts 30 minutes before the bandits struck

A wave of anger, blame game, and legislative inquiry has followed the invasion of the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State, where bandits abducted 25 students on Monday.

As the families of the abducted schoolgirls begin an agonising wait, the narrative of the tragedy has shifted from shock to accusations of “betrayal” and “sabotage” by state actors.

While the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has rallied support for the armed forces, Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris has levelled explosive allegations against security operatives, claiming actionable intelligence was ignored.

‘Clear sabotage’

In a startling revelation on Monday evening, Governor Idris accused the security agencies of ignoring credible intelligence provided by the State Security Services (SSS) regarding an imminent attack on the school.

Speaking during a visit to the school in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, a visibly angry Mr Idris described the incident as “clear sabotage.”

He disclosed that following the SSS alert, the State Security Council had ordered round-the-clock protection for the institution.

However, operatives reportedly abandoned their duty posts shortly before the bandits struck.

“We got credible intelligence from the DSS that this school was likely to be attacked… The decision was that we would provide round-the-clock protection,” the governor said. “This is clear sabotage.”

Corroborating the governor’s claim, a teacher who survived the attack told reporters that heavily armed security personnel had spent Sunday night at the school, interacting and taking photographs with students.

“Sadly, for yet-to-be-determined reasons, they reportedly left the school before dawn,” the teacher narrated. “About 30 minutes after they withdrew, the kidnappers struck.”

Governor Idris has since constituted a special investigation panel, to be chaired by the State Director of the SSS, to probe the security failure and coordinate rescue efforts.

The Attack: A pre-dawn tragedy

The attack, which occurred at approximately 4 a.m. on Monday, was swift and brutal.

According to witnesses, gunmen arriving on motorcycles scaled the perimeter fence, engaging police guards in a gun duel.

Residents recounted how the bandits targeted the staff quarters first—a tactical move to decapitate the school’s leadership before taking the students. The violence claimed the life of the Vice Principal, Mr Makuku, who was shot dead while attempting to shield his students.

His wife, Amina Hassan, provided a harrowing account of the terrorists’ ruthlessness and the confusion that reigned during the invasion.

“We started struggling with them… one of them pulled out his gun and shot my husband. Then he dragged me by my hand outside… I told them to leave me alone, that I would not go with them since they have killed the father of my children,” Mrs Hassan narrated.

“We were sleeping when, around 3:30 a.m., we heard noises at the door. I woke my husband, thinking it was animals disturbing us. Tragically, the bandits broke down the door and entered our home. They killed my husband,” Mrs Hassan narrated.

She further detailed how the attackers attempted to use her family to locate the students.

“Afterward, they ordered me to follow them, but I refused. At that moment, my daughter came out of the bedroom. The bandits forced her to follow them instead, pushing her ahead at gunpoint to lead them to the girls. When they arrived and saw the students, they abandoned my daughter, which allowed her to escape.”

While the vice principal’s wife and daughter were spared, 25 students were herded into the forest.

By Tuesday morning, a glimmer of hope emerged when the school’s principal, Musa Magaji, confirmed that one student had escaped and returned home safely, leaving 24 girls still in captivity.

Senate Response: Probe into ‘Safe School Initiative’

The outrage spilled onto the floor of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The Senate, acting on a motion by former Senate Leader Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), observed a minute of silence for the slain Vice Principal and the missing girls.

Mr Abdullahi expressed deep indignation, describing the abduction as a “slap in the face” to the nation and recalling the trauma of the 2021 Birnin Yauri abduction.

“The terrorisation of our students, children, and educational institutions must stop immediately,” Mr Abdullahi stated. “A country that cannot secure its children cannot fulfil its obligations to its citizens.”

Following a heated debate on the country’s deteriorating security situation, the Senate resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to probe the effectiveness of the federal government’s Safe School Initiative, which has faced renewed scrutiny amid recurring attacks.

Lawmakers also adjourned plenary until 25 November to enable senators to participate in ongoing zonal security summits aimed at harmonising regional responses to insecurity.

During the session, senators Francis Fadahunsi and Asuquo Ekpeyong demanded consequences for security failures, insisting that the Army, Air Force, and Police must end their “siloed” operations.

First Lady backs service chiefs, mourns with wives

In Abuja, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu offered a different tone, focusing on solidarity with the armed forces while condemning the act as “reprehensible.”

Receiving the wives of the Service Chiefs at the State House on Tuesday, Mrs Tinubu requested a minute of silence for the victims. She commended the current Service Chiefs and their spouses—including Elizabeth Egbetokun and Sefiyan Shuaibu—for their commitment to national security despite the risks.

“I acknowledge the challenges faced by security personnel in Kebbi,” Mrs Tinubu said, urging the wives of the officers to collaborate with her office to support the welfare of widows and veterans.

She hailed the new security leadership for their efforts to restore peace, a perspective that contrasts with the accusations of negligence emanating from the Kebbi Government House.

Security response and community skepticism

Despite the controversy, the machinery of the state has moved into action.

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, visited the scene hours after the attack, issuing a directive to troops to conduct “intelligence-driven operations and relentless day-and-night pursuit” of the abductors.

“Success is not optional,” he declared.

Similarly, the Kebbi Police Command, through spokesperson Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, confirmed the deployment of tactical teams to block escape routes into neighbouring Zamfara and Sokoto states, known havens for bandit groups.

However, on the streets of Maga, the mood is one of betrayal and fatigue.

Abdulkarim Maga, a resident whose daughter and granddaughter were among those taken, expressed the confusion and pain of the community.

He challenged initial casualty figures and lamented that the community is “tired of promises.”

For the parents, the reaction is a mixture of prayer and panic, haunted by the timeline of the Birnin Yauri abduction in June 2021, where over 100 students were taken. In that tragedy, parents were forced to crowdfund millions in ransom, and some girls were held for over two years, with reports of forced “marriages” to bandit warlords like Dogo Gide.

Civil society and international dimensions

The Gender Educators Initiative (GEI) joined the condemnation on Tuesday. Shafa’atu Suleiman, the group’s Executive Lead, emphasised the gendered dimension of the conflict.

“Women and children bear the brunt of insecurity, facing abductions, sexual violence, and long-term trauma,” Ms Suleiman said, calling for a revamp of the Safe Schools Initiative to include functional perimeter fencing and community-based intelligence networks.

The abduction has also drawn international commentary. Security experts like Oluwole Ojewale of the Institute for Security Studies noted that these abductions are fueled by the “illicit economic gains” of terrorism.

US Representative Riley Moore seized on the incident to criticise Nigeria’s protection of Christians.

This claim was made despite police confirmations that the abducted girls in this specific incident were Muslims, highlighting how the tragedy is being interpreted through different lenses abroad, often detached from the local reality of indiscriminate banditry.

A decade of vulnerability

The Maga abduction is the latest grim chapter in a decade-long crisis targeting Nigerian education. According to data from The ICIR, over 1,000 students were kidnapped from Nigerian schools between 2014 and November 2025.

From the 276 Chibok girls in 2014 to the mass abductions in Kankara, Kagara, and Yauri, the pattern remains unbroken. With 24 girls still in the Maga forest, the pressure is now on the Tinubu administration to prove that its security architecture can deliver where previous ones have faltered.