Senate demands 100,000 troop surge as 25 schoolgirls abducted
The Senate has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently recruit at least 100,000 new military personnel as Nigeria reels from a deadly spike in security crises, including a brazen school attack that left a vice principal dead and 25 schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance brought by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya of Kebbi North, who recounted the shocking invasion of Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, where terrorists struck in the dead of night.
Yahaya described the attack as “a slap on the face of our nation”, saying repeated kidnappings were not just endangering lives, but undermining the education of young girls in vulnerable regions. He recalled a haunting precedent — it took four years to rescue victims of a similar abduction in 2022.
“This terrorism targeting students must stop,” Yahaya declared, as he urged security agencies to hunt down the attackers with maximum urgency.
In an emotional plenary session, senators expressed fury at the continuing assault on schools, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the government’s Safe School Initiative. An ad hoc committee, including the Committee on Finance, has now been set up to probe how funds allocated to protecting schools have been used.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio likened the wave of attacks to the infamous Chibok kidnapping of 2014, saying Nigeria’s security failures are being watched worldwide.
A minute of silence was observed in memory of Malam Hassan Makuku, the school’s vice principal who was shot dead while trying to protect students during the Sunday night raid.
Witnesses said the attackers stormed the school in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area without any resistance, whisking away the girls and sending shockwaves across the region.
The Federal Government has vowed to act fast, with Minister of Information Mohammed Idris saying security agencies have been ordered to rescue the girls and bring the perpetrators to justice. President Tinubu has reportedly restated his commitment to safeguarding every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren.
Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris, who visited the scene alongside security chiefs and shattered families, said he had assured parents that efforts were underway to rescue their daughters.
“We came here, we saw things for ourselves, and we met the parents whose children were taken,” he said. “We gave them confidence and we gave them our word that we will do everything possible to ensure that their children are rescued.”
With the nation once again grappling with fears of mass abduction, eyes are now on how swiftly authorities can match their promises with action.