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.
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! 
. 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 
.
. 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 
. 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 
. 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? 
. 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" 
.
.
. Since 2014, it's been a crisis in Nigeria with all these school abductions. Can't we do something about this?! 
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". 
.
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, the government has sent in extra security forces but it feels like its just not enough 
its not fair that these kids have to live in fear of being taken away from their families and schools 
The Nigerian Air Force deploying surveillance isn't exactly reassuring either... it sounds like more of a PR stunt than actual help.
. 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 
24 girls saved! 
But still, over 250 kids missing 
Meanwhile, these kids just want to learn and play in peace 
#JusticeForNigerianKids #KidnappingCrisis
.
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" 
?
. 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 
It's so frustrating when officials can't seem to give us straight answers.
We need to find a way to address the root causes of these kidnappings and not just keep blaming one side or another.