Indications have emerged that security operatives allegedly ignored credible intelligence from the Department of State Services (DSS), which could have prevented the abduction of 25 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, Kebbi State.
Kebbi State Governor, Mohammed Nasir Idris, on Monday night expressed frustration over the apparent failure to act on DSS intelligence.
Suspected gunmen reportedly attacked the school in the early hours of Monday, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 female students, though three managed to escape.
Security sources told LEADERSHIP that Governor Idris, who visited the school around 6:45 pm on Monday, accused unnamed security agencies of sabotaging the administration’s efforts.
“This is clear sabotage. We received credible intelligence from the DSS that this school was likely to be attacked. The DSS advised convening an emergency Security Council meeting, which we did, and decided to provide round-the-clock protection for the students,” the governor said.
Governor Idris emphasized the importance of acting on intelligence, recalling the December 2020 Kankara school kidnapping in Katsina State, which he said could have been mitigated with proper action.
He lamented that while heavily armed security personnel were deployed and spent time interacting with students including taking photographs they reportedly withdrew 30 minutes before the attack.
The governor, accompanied by state security chiefs, announced the creation of a special investigation panel to determine how the kidnappers succeeded despite DSS warnings and government security measures. The panel, headed by the DSS state director, will also oversee the safe return of the abducted students.
A teacher who escaped the attack described the shock of seeing the school left vulnerable despite previous armed deployments and emergency drills:
“The heavily armed security men spent the night guarding the school. Sadly, for reasons yet to be determined, they left before dawn. About 30 minutes later, the kidnappers struck,” the teacher said.
He added that the accuracy of the DSS intelligence prompted Governor Idris to appoint its director to lead the special investigation committee. He expressed hope that the girls were abducted, not harmed, and that ongoing federal and state efforts would secure their release.