Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, has raised serious concerns over the decision by military personnel to pull out from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, located in the Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area in the North-Western region of Nigeria, shortly before armed attackers abducted several female students from the school.
The governor expressed his position on Thursday during a courtesy visit from the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, who led a team of labour leaders to show solidarity with the people of the state following the abduction.
Okay News reports that Governor Idris stated that he was “deeply troubled” by the sequence of events that unfolded hours before the gunmen launched the attack.
He explained that the state government had previously provided security agencies with intelligence warnings pointing to possible threats around schools in border areas that were considered highly vulnerable. According to him, those alerts were shared with the appropriate military channels to prompt proactive action.
Governor Idris revealed that information available to him indicated that the troops guarding the school premises allegedly withdrew from their posts at about 3 a.m., only for the attackers to storm the location less than forty-five minutes afterwards. The timing of the withdrawal, according to the governor, created a major security gap that is now the centre of public concern.
“We provided intelligence reports. We alerted them. So, who gave the order for troops to withdraw at that critical hour?” the governor asked while urging military authorities to launch a full-scale inquiry into what transpired. He insisted that the state deserves answers regarding what he described as an avoidable breach of security.
He also noted that the withdrawal contradicted earlier commitments given to the state that additional measures would be put in place to safeguard schools in areas repeatedly targeted by criminal groups. The governor stressed that it was crucial for the federal security architecture to act decisively to prevent further incidents.
Nigeria Labour Congress President, Joe Ajaero, expressed sympathy with the state government and the affected families, assuring that the labour movement stood with the people during this difficult moment. He called on national security agencies to intensify their efforts to rescue the students alive and return them safely to their families.
The abduction has triggered nationwide outrage and has reignited debates about the persistent targeting of schools by armed groups across Nigeria’s North-Western region. The incident adds to a troubling pattern of attacks despite repeated federal promises to strengthen security around educational institutions.
