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24 abducted Nigerian schoolgirls freed after deadly raid
Twenty-four girls kidnapped from a boarding school in Nigeria's Kebbi State have been released, President Bola Tinubu announced on Wednesday, over a week after armed attackers stormed the facility, killing two staff members and abducting 25 students. One girl escaped shortly after the 17 November assault.
Unclear circumstances amid security crackdown
Tinubu commended security forces for their "swift response," though details of the girls' release-whether through rescue, negotiation, or ransom-were not disclosed. The president's special adviser confirmed all abducted students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Kebbi had been accounted for.
The raid has triggered copycat kidnappings in two neighboring states, prompting Tinubu to order additional personnel deployments to "vulnerable areas" and direct the Air Force to conduct "continuous surveillance" over remote regions, coordinating with ground units to "neutralise hostile elements."
Escalating crisis: Over 250 still missing after latest mass abduction
The release comes as Nigeria grapples with a surge in school abductions. On 22 November, at least 300 children and staff were seized from St. Mary's Catholic Boarding School in Niger State, with the Christian Association of Nigeria reporting 250 remain missing. Local officials, however, suggest the number may be lower. The region's top Catholic cleric told the BBC the government was making "no meaningful effort" to rescue those still captive.
Friday's attack marked the third school abduction in a week, forcing Tinubu to cancel his trip to the G20 summit in South Africa to address the crisis. Since 2014, over 1,500 children have been abducted from Nigerian schools, beginning with the infamous Chibok mass kidnapping of 276 girls.
International calls for action as ransom kidnappings surge
UN education envoy Gordon Brown, the former UK prime minister, urged global support to return the abducted children, stating: "It's incumbent on us to ensure Nigerian schools are safe spaces for learning, not spaces where children can be plucked from their classrooms for criminal profit."
The abductions are largely attributed to 'bandits'-criminal gangs operating in northern Nigeria-who kidnap for ransom. Meanwhile, jihadist groups in the northeast, including Boko Haram, have waged a decade-long insurgency. While US President Donald Trump recently accused Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christians, the government dismissed claims of religious persecution, noting most victims in the north-where attacks are concentrated-are Muslim.
"Terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology-Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike," a Nigerian official told the BBC.
Broader security challenges
Analysts warn the dual threats of criminal kidnappings and jihadist violence have eroded public trust in security forces. Tinubu's pledge to bolster surveillance and ground operations follows years of criticism over the government's inability to curb the abductions, which often target schools in rural, underserved regions.
