ABUJA, Nigeria
Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State has raised serious concerns over the withdrawal of military personnel from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, shortly before armed bandits abducted students early Friday.
The governor voiced his concern while receiving the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Joe Ajaero, who paid a sympathy visit to Kebbi in the wake of the incident.
“ As a responsive government, when we received intelligence on a possible attack, we summoned a security meeting,” Idris said.
“ 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 3:00 a.m. and by 3:45 a.m. the incident happened,” he added.
Idris emphasised that a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal has been demanded.
“ 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 said.
The governor reassured that both the state and federal governments were working tirelessly to ensure the safe return of the abducted girls.
“ 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,” Idris added.
He further called on religious leaders to intensify prayers for the victims.
“ 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.
Describing the NLC President’s visit as historic, Idris said it demonstrated solidarity in a time of distress.
“ 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.
Earlier, Joe Ajaero described the incident as deeply worrisome, noting that it occurred when Kebbi was recording significant progress in service delivery and development under Governor Idris.
“ 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,” Ajaero said.
He added that the NLC remained committed to supporting the state and would review its policies to strengthen security across schools and borders.
“ 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 stressed that security issues must not be politicised and called for coordinated solutions.
“ 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 added.
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