Nigeria's kidnap crisis: Twenty-four schoolgirls freed over a week after abduction in Kebbi state

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has announced that 24 schoolgirls abducted from their boarding school in Kebbi State nearly a week ago have been released. The girls were taken by armed assailants on November 17, with two staff members killed and one student escaping soon after.

The release of the girls comes amid a surge in abductions in Nigeria over the past week, with more than 250 children still missing from St Mary's Catholic boarding school in Niger State. The school was targeted last Friday, and authorities say that at least 300 children were taken by gunmen.

However, some officials have cast doubt on these figures, questioning whether all of the abductees are still alive. Niger State Governor Umar Bago denied that the government had received reliable information about the numbers of missing children, claiming that the Catholic Church's statement was "unverifiable".

Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also responsible for St Mary's school, criticized the government for its lack of action, saying it was making "no meaningful effort" to rescue those still missing.

President Tinubu pledged additional security forces would be deployed to areas vulnerable to further kidnappings. The Nigerian Air Force has been tasked with maintaining surveillance over remote areas and coordinating ground units to neutralize any hostile elements.

This incident is part of a broader crisis in Nigeria, where children have been abducted from schools at an alarming rate since 2014, when 276 girls were taken during the infamous Chibok mass abduction. The kidnapping of people for ransom by criminal gangs has become a major problem in many parts of Nigeria.

Organizations monitoring violence say most of the victims of jihadist groups are Muslim because most attacks happen in the majority-Muslim north of the country.

I'm glad to hear that some of those schoolgirls have been released, it's like the darkest night is finally starting to lift for them . But let's not forget the bigger picture here, we need to acknowledge that this is a really concerning trend in Nigeria and we need more concrete action from the authorities . I think President Tinubu's announcement about deploying extra security forces is a good start . What's worrying me though is all these numbers of missing children - 24, 250... it's like they're just numbers on a page . We need to know for sure what's happening to those kids and how we can get them back safely .

what's good with these numbers tho? 250+ kids taken from one school just last Friday and the government is all like "we're not sure if they're even alive"? that sounds super sketchy to me. I'd need some solid sources on this one, stat!

I don’t usually comment but this news is getting me really worried . 250+ kids still missing in Niger State? It's just too much to take. I feel for those parents and kids who've lost loved ones already. The fact that some officials are casting doubt on the numbers of missing children, it's like they're not taking this seriously enough .

And what really gets me is how this has become a major problem since 2014 . When did we start tolerating this? I don't think schools should be considered battlegrounds for these criminal gangs. The Nigerian government needs to step up its game and provide those kids with the safety they deserve .

And what about the Bishop's criticism of the government's lack of action? I'm with him on that one . If the government can deploy security forces to areas like Kebbi State, why not do the same for St Mary's school in Niger State? It's time for some real change .

This is just getting crazy! I'm so relieved that some of those schoolgirls from Kebbi State were finally released , but at the same time, my heart goes out to the ones still missing... it's like they're living in a real-life episode of "Taken" . And can we talk about how messed up is the situation with all these abductions happening? I mean, what kind of monster would do this to innocent kids?

And what's going on with Nigeria, right? It feels like they're living in a war zone . The numbers don't even add up - 24 girls released, over 250 still missing... it's hard to keep track. And the government is just sort of... shrugging? Like, "yeah, we'll get around to helping them eventually" .

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this is a total crisis, and someone needs to step up and do something about it . Can't we all just get along and keep our kids safe?

OMG, this is such a huge relief that 24 schoolgirls were finally released after being held captive for almost a week! I mean, can you even imagine how scary and helpless those girls must have felt? My heart goes out to them and their families .

But what's really bothering me is the whole situation with St Mary's Catholic boarding school in Niger State. Like, 300 kids just vanished ! How can we not take action when we know these children are still alive somewhere? The government needs to get its act together and provide more support and security for our schools. We need to make sure our kids are safe while they're learning .

And let's be real, the numbers just keep going up . Since 2014, it's been a crisis in Nigeria with all these school abductions. Can't we do something about this?! I'm not gonna sit back and watch these kids get taken away from their families and teachers without trying to do something. We need to take action, whether it's through community support or government intervention – something needs to change .

Ugh, another bunch of schoolgirls taken hostage . Can't believe we're still living in a world where this is a thing that happens regularly. I mean, what's next? Are we gonna start getting ransom demands for our kids' safety or something?

And oh great, the gov says they don't have reliable info on the numbers of missing kids... because who needs accurate information when there are pretty pictures to share with the world and a good PR stunt? The fact that some officials are questioning whether all the abductees are still alive is just a nice way of saying "we're not really sure what's going on".

And can we talk about how the government is responding to this crisis? Sending in additional security forces and asking for help from the air force... meanwhile, the bishop is over here saying they're not doing enough. It's like they're trying to pass the buck... or in this case, the bullet .

I'm all for taking action, but can we please get some real solutions here instead of just throwing more guns at the problem? The root cause of these kidnappings needs to be addressed, not just treated like a minor inconvenience. Let's hope President Tinubu follows through on his promises and actually does something concrete .

This is getting outta hand... 250+ kids still missing, and it's all about who's to blame? I mean, where's the accountability? The government needs to step up their game, not just send in more troops, but actually figure out what's going on. And what's with the numbers, anyway? Are we just gonna take each other's word for it? This Chibok thing happened 11 years ago, and now we're seeing a repeat... can't we do better than this?

the fact that some officials are doubting the numbers is really worrying me ... i mean, can't we all just agree on a number and work together to get those kids back? it's not like this is a new issue, we've known about the abduction problem in Nigeria for years now. 2014 was a huge wake-up call with the Chibok girls, and now this... it's just too much

i'm glad president tinubu has pledged to deploy more security forces, but at the same time, i think the government needs to do more than that... like, have we considered working with local communities and organizations that are already on the ground? they might be able to provide valuable insight and support. and what about the catholic church's statement - shouldn't we be taking those numbers seriously too? it's just frustrating when there are so many unknowns and conflicting information

so sad to hear about these school girls being abducted its just not right that innocent kids have to go through this the number of abductions is getting crazy like over 250 kids missing in one place alone thats like a whole school worth of kids gone ‍

I think its really bad that some officials are doubting the numbers of missing kids they should be doing everything they can to make sure all the kids are safe and dont have to suffer i mean, the government has sent in extra security forces but it feels like its just not enough

i wish more people would speak out against these kidnappings and demand action from the government its not fair that these kids have to live in fear of being taken away from their families and schools

What's going on with these school abductions?! First, it's 24 girls and now over 250 more missing from a single school... that's insane! And the government is all like "we don't know if they're still alive" Um, no kidding, those are kids we're talking about! You'd think they'd at least try to verify the numbers before just denying everything. And what about the Bishop's rant? Like, where is the urgency?! This is a humanitarian crisis and it needs to be addressed ASAP! The Nigerian Air Force deploying surveillance isn't exactly reassuring either... it sounds like more of a PR stunt than actual help.

omg this is such good news!!! i'm so relieved that 24 schoolgirls were able to escape from the kidnappers they must be shaking off so much trauma but its amazing to see president tinubu taking action and deploying more security forces to prevent further abductions lets keep our fingers crossed for the remaining students at st mary's catholic boarding school

I'm glad to hear that some of those schoolgirls were finally freed , but it's still super worrying that so many more are still missing and we don't even know if they're still alive . The numbers just keep piling up - 250+ kids are still in the dark, and I'm not sure how much longer our authorities can keep denying they don't have a handle on this situation . Tinubu's vow to boost security sounds good on paper, but let's be real, it's gonna take more than just deploying some extra troops for us to see meaningful change . We need concrete actions and actual progress, not just PR stunts. The fact that the church is questioning the gov's intel just shows how unreliable our information is . It's time for action, not just empty promises

Ugh, this is so messed up . I'm glad some of those schoolgirls were finally released, but like, what about the ones who are still held captive? It's been nearly a week since they got taken and we don't even know if they're still alive .

And can we talk about how Nigeria is handling this whole situation? Like, the numbers of missing kids are all over the place - 250, 300, who knows? It sounds like there's some serious confusion going on here. And what's with the government denying that they have reliable info? That just makes me wanna roll my eyes .

I'm also super frustrated with the Bishop speaking out against the government for not doing enough to rescue those kids. Like, I get it, but can't he just keep his thoughts to himself during this traumatic time?

We need some solid info and action here ASAP . This is getting ridiculous .

24 girls saved! But still, over 250 kids missing ... Nigerian government needs to get its act together! Meanwhile, these kids just want to learn and play in peace #JusticeForNigerianKids #KidnappingCrisis

OMG, this is such good news ! I was literally following this story and it's been super scary for all the families affected. But to hear that 24 schoolgirls have been released safely is just amazing ! It's like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders.

I feel so sorry for the girls who are still missing, though . It's like they're in a war zone and it's just not fair. The government needs to do more to keep these kids safe, you know? But at least President Tinubu is taking this seriously and deploying extra security forces .

I'm glad the Nigerian Air Force is on board too ! They need all the help they can get. It's like, we're living in a nightmare and it feels like no one is doing anything to stop it . But I guess that's why there are heroes like President Tinubu and people working behind the scenes to make a difference .

Let's keep our fingers crossed for all the kids still missing !

So this is crazy! Like, I'm glad some of those schoolgirls are safe and all , but how many are still out there? We need to get a better idea of how many kids are missing and what's really going on. The government needs to step up its game and provide us with some real numbers, not just vague stuff .

And can we talk about the fact that at least 300 kids are still missing in one school alone? That's insane! It feels like they're not even trying to rescue them or take action against these kidnappers. The bishop from St Mary's Catholic school is right, though - this is a huge crisis and we need meaningful efforts from the government.

It's also kinda weird that some officials are doubting the numbers of missing kids because they don't have reliable info . Like, shouldn't we be working together to figure out what's going on instead of playing it safe?

I'm not trying to be a skeptic or anything, but I just want to see some real progress and action taken by the government. We need to do better for these kids .

Nigerian schoolgirl abductions: who's counting? 250+ kids gone, and the gov't is like "unverifiable"? Meanwhile, President Tinubu's got a new security plan that'll probably cost more than the ransom . When will we just have a national " Kidnap- Emergency Fund" ?

I'm not even sure why we're still having this conversation about school abductions on this platform... it's like, come on guys, can't you think about something else for once? I mean, I get that these things are super serious and all, but can't we discuss them in a more respectful manner? Every time there's a big news story, the forum is flooded with people sharing their opinions. Like, can't they just keep to themselves? And don't even get me started on how our search function is still super slow . It takes forever to find what you're looking for. Anyway, back to the topic at hand... I guess it's good that some of those girls were released, but can we talk about something else in a few hours? My mind is going to be totally off this topic by then

I mean, I'm glad to hear that some schoolgirls were finally released, but can we talk about how messed up this situation is? Like, 24 girls are missing and then suddenly they're back, what even is that? And don't even get me started on the numbers game going on here... like, who knows if all these kids are still alive or just being kept quiet. It's so frustrating when officials can't seem to give us straight answers.

And can we please talk about how this keeps happening? I mean, it's been over a decade since those Chibok girls got taken and we're still dealing with this same issue... it's like, what are we even doing wrong? Like, we know that schools are supposed to be safe zones, right? How can we expect the government to take responsibility when they just seem to shrug it off?

And honestly, I'm so tired of organizations talking about how most of these victims are Muslim... like, can't we just focus on solving this problem without pitting different groups against each other? We need to find a way to address the root causes of these kidnappings and not just keep blaming one side or another.