Governor Idris alleges military withdrawal before Maga abductions of school girls
Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State has demanded answers from military authorities over the withdrawal of troops from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, shortly before the abduction of dozens of schoolgirls in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, Peak Newspaper reports.
Speaking in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday while receiving the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, on a solidarity visit, Idris said he was “deeply troubled” that security personnel pulled out of the school despite earlier intelligence alerts issued by the state government.
According to the governor, soldiers assigned to the area reportedly left at about 3:00 a.m., while the attackers struck barely 45 minutes later.
“We provided intelligence reports. We alerted them. So, who gave the order for troops to withdraw at that critical hour?” Idris queried, calling for a full military investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The governor said the state had consistently raised security concerns, particularly in border communities vulnerable to bandit attacks.
He noted that the withdrawal contradicted earlier assurances of enhanced protection for schools in the region.
Joe Ajaero, who led a delegation of the NLC, expressed solidarity with the state and the families of the abducted students, urging federal security agencies to ensure the girls’ safe rescue.
The abduction, which has drawn nationwide outrage, is the latest in a series of attacks targeting schools in Nigeria’s North-West, despite repeated government pledges to strengthen security around learning centres.
