Twenty-four schoolgirls abducted from a government boarding school in northwestern Nigeria have been released, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The girls were taken on November 17 when armed men stormed their Kebbi state school shortly after a military unit stationed there had departed. Authorities say the incident sparked a series of copycat kidnappings in the neighbouring states of Kwara and Niger.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu welcomed the news of the girls’ safe return and urged security forces to intensify operations to free others still being held by armed groups.
“I am relieved that all 24 girls have been accounted for,” Tinubu said. “We must urgently deploy more security personnel to vulnerable areas to prevent further kidnappings. My government will provide all necessary support to achieve this.”
Mass abductions for ransom have become a persistent threat in northern Nigeria, where heavily armed gangs routinely target schools and remote communities, placing mounting pressure on local security structures.