The 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, have regained their freedom.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the development on Tuesday.
Officials close to the Kebbi Government House also said the girls were rescued earlier in the day and are being taken to Birnin Kebbi for medical checks and debriefing.
“The girls have been freed. They are on their way to the State House,” a senior official said.
Details of the rescue are still unclear, but security sources said the breakthrough followed heavy joint operations by the military, police, local vigilantes and intelligence units across forest routes.
The girls were taken last week when armed men attacked their boarding school in the early hours of the morning.
Their abduction came a few days before another major attack in Niger State, where more than 300 children and teachers were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri.
The two incidents renewed painful memories of earlier mass kidnappings in Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara, Jangebe and Yauri, where schools, especially girls’ schools, have repeatedly been targeted.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu ordered wider security operations and constant aerial surveillance across Kebbi, Niger and Kwara States, asking the Air Force to scan deep forest hideouts used by kidnap gangs.
The rescue of the Kebbi girls is the first major success since the president’s directive.
The Kebbi State Government is expected to make an official announcement once the girls arrive in Birnin Kebbi.
