*As HURIWA Blames Government Security Failures
The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has condemned the deadly attack on Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Zuru Emirate, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, which left the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, dead and several students abducted.
Describing the incident as “unacceptable,” Matawalle said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed security agencies to mobilise immediately and work jointly to ensure the abducted schoolgirls are rescued unharmed.
“The government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has directed that the state’s security apparatus swing into immediate action to ensure the abducted students are released safely,” the minister said in a statement issued by Enderline Chukwu, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Defence.
He urged security forces to “act decisively and in concert” to locate the girls and apprehend the perpetrators. Matawalle also appealed for calm within affected communities, assuring residents that government and security agencies were fully engaged with the situation.
Extending condolences to the family of the slain Vice Principal and others affected, he prayed for Allah’s mercy and comfort for the bereaved.
Following the attack, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) criticised the federal government’s handling of school security, describing the mass abduction as a stark failure of intelligence and protection systems.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said the incident contradicts repeated assurances that the national school security initiative is working. The group questioned the utilisation of the reported N595 billion allocated to the intelligence community.
“We call on security institutions — the armed forces, DSS, and the Nigeria Police — to immediately activate mechanisms to rescue these girls, arrest the abductors, and bring them to swift justice,” the group said.
HURIWA also urged authorities to prioritise concrete, sustainable security measures across schools rather than relying on “conjecture and propaganda.”
The rights group criticised Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa for earlier claiming Nigeria had recorded no school abductions in the previous 12 months. The Kebbi incident, it said, proves the government has not deployed adequate manpower or resources to secure schools.
According to local accounts, the attackers invaded the school around 4:00 a.m., killing a staff member, injuring a security guard, and abducting several students before escaping.
HURIWA noted that Kebbi has experienced multiple mass kidnappings in recent years, recalling the June 2021 attack on Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, where gunmen abducted over 80 students and staff.
The group also criticised the National Assembly for what it described as weak oversight over the security sector, alleging that some lawmakers compromise their responsibilities for personal gain.
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