In brief
Twenty-four Nigerian schoolgirls abducted on November 17 from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School have been released, according to President Bola Tinubu. This incident, alongside the abduction of over 300 students from a Catholic school in nearby Niger State, raises critical concerns regarding safety measures in Nigerian schools and the ongoing kidnapping crisis plaguing the nation. The government's response has been criticized for insufficient efforts to secure safe learning environments.
A group of 24 Nigerian girls who were abducted from their boarding school over a week ago have been released, the country’s president said.
Armed assailants stormed the school in Nigeria's Kebbi State on 17 November, killing two members of staff and abducting about 25 students. Two were able to escape soon after.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu praised security forces for their swift response to the incident - although the circumstances of the girls' release remained unclear.
Africa's most populous nation has suffered a spate of abductions in recent years - with more than 250 children abducted from a Catholic school last Friday still missing.
In a statement, a special adviser to the president confirmed that all the girls taken from the school in Kebbi State had been accounted for, saying that the raid had triggered copycat kidnappings in two neighbouring Nigerian states.
Tinubu said that more personnel would be deployed to vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping.
In a separate post on X, Tinubu wrote: The Air Force is to maintain continuous surveillance over the most remote areas, synchronising operations with ground units to effectively identify, isolate, disrupt, and neutralise all hostile elements.
More than 1,500 children have been abducted from Nigerian schools since 2014, when 276 girls were abducted during the infamous Chibok mass abduction.
On Friday, at least 300 children and staff were abducted from St Mary's School, a Catholic boarding school, in Niger state, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria, which says that at least 250 remain unaccounted for.
However, some Nigerian officials have suggested that the number of those kidnapped may be lower.
UN education envoy Gordon Brown called on the international community to do our utmost to support efforts to return the abducted children, emphasizing the need for safety in Nigerian schools.
The kidnapping of people for ransom by criminal gangs has become a major problem in many parts of Nigeria and poses a threat to educational institutions nationwide.
