Kebbi School Kidnap: Governor Idris Decries Alleged Failure to Act on Credible Intelligence
Kebbi State Governor, Mohammed Nasir Idris, has criticised what he described as a failure by security operatives to act on credible intelligence provided by the Department of State Services (DSS) prior to Monday’s attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area.
Suspected gunmen reportedly invaded the school in the early hours of Monday, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 female students. Three of the abducted students were said to have escaped.
A senior security source told Pointblanknews.com that Governor Idris, who arrived at the school around 6:45 p.m. on Monday, expressed frustration over what he termed sabotage of his administration’s security efforts.
According to the governor, the DSS had issued an intelligence report indicating a likely attack on the school and advised the state government to convene an emergency Security Council meeting. Idris said the council met and agreed to deploy round-the-clock security personnel to protect the school.
“This is clear sabotage. We got credible intelligence from the DSS that this school was likely to be attacked. DSS further advised that we convene an emergency Security Council meeting, which we did. The decision was that we would provide round-the-clock protection for the students,” he said.
Governor Idris added that he took the alert seriously, recalling that the failure to utilise similar intelligence contributed to the December 2020 abduction of over 300 pupils in Kankara, Katsina State.
He lamented that although security operatives were deployed and spent time interacting with students and conducting emergency drills, they allegedly withdrew from the school shortly before the attack.
Reports from the school indicated that the armed personnel guarded the facility overnight but left before dawn. The kidnappers were said to have stormed the school approximately 30 minutes after the withdrawal of the security team.
The governor, accompanied by state security chiefs, announced the establishment of a special investigation panel to determine why the attack occurred despite prior intelligence and security deployment. The panel, which will also coordinate efforts to secure the safe return of the abducted students, will be chaired by the State Director of the DSS.
A teacher who escaped the incident said it was surprising that the school was attacked despite the presence of heavily armed personnel the previous day.
“With the several uniformed men deployed to the school on Sunday, who spent time with the students and even conducted emergency drills, I was shocked at what happened,” the teacher said.
He added that the accuracy of the intelligence report may have informed the governor’s decision to appoint the DSS director as head of the investigation committee.
Despite the incident, the teacher expressed optimism that the abducted students would be rescued, noting that available information suggested they were taken alive.
“Given the ongoing efforts by the federal and state governments, we are hopeful that they will all be rescued,” he said.
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