Nigerian gov demands answers over troops withdrawal before schoolgirls’  abductions

Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State has questioned why military operatives pulled out of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, only minutes before armed bandits abducted a number of students.

Idris expressed the concern on Friday in Birnin Kebbi while hosting the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Joe Ajaero, who visited the state to sympathise with the government and families affected by the abduction.

The governor described the development as troubling, noting that the government acted on intelligence about a possible attack and immediately convened a meeting with security commanders.

“As a responsive government, when we received intelligence on a possible attack, we summoned a security meeting.The security agencies assured us that all was well and that personnel would be mobilised to the school.The military was deployed, but they later withdrew by 3:a.m and by 3:45 am then the incident happened,” he said.

Idris said the state had demanded an explanation and a detailed investigation into the lapse.

“Who authorised the military to withdraw? How did security personnel pull out at such a critical time? That is our concern. We have asked the military to investigate and identify who gave that order,” he added.

The governor noted that both state and federal authorities were making concerted efforts to secure the release of the abducted students.

“Our duty as leaders is to ensure that our daughters return home safely, and we are doing everything possible to achieve that.We thank President Bola Tinubu for directing Vice-President Kashim Shettima to visit us, and for ensuring that the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, has relocated to Kebbi,” he said.

He added that religious leaders had been asked to intensify prayers for the victims and for peace in the state.

“What is happening in this country shows that enemies are working against this government. We return to God and continue to pray for divine intervention,” he said.

Idris commended the NLC President for what he described as a timely act of solidarity.
“You left your schedules to visit us, and we appreciate it.We assure you that we will do everything humanly possible to rescue our daughters and return them safely to their homes,” he said.

In his remarks, Ajaero said the incident occurred at a time Kebbi State was making notable advances in development under Idris’s administration.

He said the NLC believed the attack was “more than a mere coincidence”, stressing that efforts to undermine the state’s progress would fail.

“This incident came at a time when the state is witnessing good service delivery and development under the leadership of Gov. Idris.Any attempt to stop the tide of progress will never succeed.We are ready to place the state side-by-side with others in terms of development.This is a distraction, but we urge you to stand firm. We sympathise with you and we are with you,” he said.

Ajaero added that the labour movement would revisit its policies to strengthen school and border security nationwide.

“We will go back to the drawing board to make our policy statement until we have clear pathways on how to secure our schools and borders. Security issues should not be politicised.We feel your pain. We will not allow this matter to be localised. It is our hope that a lasting solution will be found.There is always a turning point. We are in pain, but we will deal with this in unison,” the NLC president said.