By Lekan Sowande, Abuja.
The Nigerian Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigerian Armed Forces to immediately recruit at least 100,000 additional personnel to strengthen national security.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance raised by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi North), who reported a recent attack by terrorists in Kebbi South Senatorial District, who invaded a Girls’ Secondary School, abducting 25 students and injuring the school’s principal.
Senator Yahaya lamented that repeated attacks on schools not only endanger citizens but also deter girls from seeking education.
He recalled a similar abduction in 2022 from another government school in the state, noting that it took four years to rescue the victims.
“This terrorism targeting students must stop,” he said, urging security agencies to immediately track down the perpetrators.
Senator Yahaya also appealed to President Tinubu to leave no stone unturned in bringing the attackers to justice.
The lawmakers who expressed outrage over the incident noted that the renewed assault on schools raises questions about funds allocated to securing learning environments.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, described the pattern of the abductions as a troubling recurrence, recalling the kidnapping of the Chibok girls on the eve of a major election in 2014.
He warned that the latest attacks come at a time when the international community is closely watching Nigeria’s security situation.
“We are in sympathy with what happened. But please be reminded that Nigeria is a very large country with thirty six states and the FCT. Also, be reminded that it is not possible to have even one policeman per polling unit during the election, because we don’t have personnel.
“And then of course our security services are stretched, and these people are going to soft targets. They go to places that you are not expecting at all. And also, there is no society without crime.
“Even the almighty America has crime on a daily basis, so we must do our best to minimize crime. We sympathize with the agony, we sympathize with the families for what they are passing through, we sympathize with the children for what they are passing through,” Senator Akpabio said.
The Senate has also set up an ad hoc committee, including the Committee on Finance, to investigate the funding, spending, and effectiveness of the Safe School Initiative.
The Senate subsequently observed a minute of silence in honour of the vice principal who was killed while attempting to shield students from the terrorists.
The terrorists abducted 25 students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State.
It was gathered that the girls were whisked away during an attack by the gunmen on Sunday night at the school located in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state.
According to sources, the attackers killed the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, before abducting several schoolgirls.
The Federal Government has condemned the attack, vowing to swiftly rescue the abducted schoolgirls.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government had given directives to the security and intelligence agencies to locate, rescue, and safely return the students, and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
He said the government expressed deep concern and solidarity with the families of the abducted students, saying it shares in their pain and remains firmly committed to securing the release of the girls.
According to the Minister, President Bola Tinubu has reiterated that protecting every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren, remains a solemn responsibility of the State.
Also, Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, says he has assured parents of the schoolgirls abducted that efforts are underway to rescue their children.