Questions Mount After Security Operatives Abandon Kebbi School 30 Minutes Before Deadly Abduction
The Kebbi State Government has launched a special investigation panel following widespread outrage over the reported withdrawal of security operatives from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, just minutes before suspected gunmen attacked the premises. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, led to the killing of the school’s vice principal and the abduction of 25 female students. Three of the abducted students later escaped.
According to senior government officials and multiple security sources, the attack occurred despite clear and credible intelligence earlier issued by the Department of State Services (DSS). The DSS had warned that the school was at high risk of being targeted and advised that an emergency Security Council meeting be convened. Governor Mohammed Nasir Idris acted on the intelligence, summoning the meeting and ordering 24-hour protection for the school.
However, Governor Idris expressed anger upon arriving at the school at about 6:45 p.m. on Monday. He accused unnamed security agencies of undermining the state’s preventive measures. He said the administration took the DSS alert seriously, noting that prior failures to act on similar intelligence had contributed to the mass abduction of over 300 pupils in Kankara, Katsina State, in December 2020.
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Security sources told LEADERSHIP that security personnel had indeed been deployed to the school on Sunday. Teachers confirmed that the operatives spent hours with students, teaching emergency drills, taking photographs, and maintaining presence throughout the night. Yet for reasons not yet disclosed, the armed personnel reportedly left the school before dawn on Monday — roughly 30 minutes before the attackers arrived.
One teacher who managed to escape described the sequence of events as shocking and deeply unsettling. He said the number of uniformed men initially stationed at the school gave both staff and students confidence that the threat had been contained. The sudden withdrawal, followed so closely by the attack, has intensified suspicions of internal sabotage.
Governor Idris has since announced the creation of a special investigation panel to determine how the kidnappers were able to strike despite advance warnings and heightened security measures. The panel will be chaired by the DSS State Director for Kebbi, who will also oversee efforts to secure the safe return of the abducted students.
Public reactions have been fierce. Many Nigerians online questioned how armed attackers could abduct 25 students within Nigerian territory without swift detection or interception. Others alleged deeper security compromises, citing recurring patterns where operatives withdraw shortly before attacks. There were also emotional responses highlighting the trauma faced by abducted schoolgirls and the repeated failures of the system to protect them.
Some commentators expressed frustration with the state of the nation’s security architecture, calling for restructuring, decentralization of command, or adoption of advanced surveillance technology, including drone-based monitoring systems. Others blamed political dysfunction, alleging sabotage within security ranks or insinuating political motivations behind recurring school attacks.
Despite the anger, state officials have expressed cautious optimism that the abducted students will be rescued alive. A teacher close to the investigation stated that intelligence suggests the girls are being held, not harmed, and that coordinated federal and state efforts are underway to locate them.
The Kebbi government insists the investigation will be thorough, particularly into why operatives deployed for the express purpose of preventing such an attack left their post prematurely. For now, the incident has reopened a painful national conversation about security lapses, intelligence mishandling, and the growing vulnerability of schools across northern Nigeria.