By Peter Omopo
Abuja — Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday departed Abuja for Kebbi State on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, following the abduction of students from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area.
The trip was confirmed in a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima’s spokesman and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications.
According to the statement, the Vice President will meet with Governor Nasiru Idris, traditional rulers, security commanders, and families of the kidnapped students as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to rescue the schoolgirls.
“President Tinubu has specifically directed the Vice President to assure the people of Kebbi State that the Federal Government will ensure the quick and safe release of the abducted girls,” the statement said.
Nkwocha added that Shettima will also convey the President’s condolences over the recent security breaches and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to protecting schools nationwide.
Shettima is accompanied by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro; Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar.
The visit comes after gunmen stormed the secondary school during a pre-dawn attack on Monday, abducting at least 25 schoolgirls and killing the vice principal. One student was reported to have escaped, while hunters and security agencies continue combing surrounding forests in search of the remaining abducted girls.
The incident has heightened concerns over persistent banditry in the northwest.
Earlier in the week, President Tinubu condemned the attack, saying he was “heartbroken” by the abductions and by the separate killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba and soldiers during an ambush in Borno State.
Authorities say intensified rescue operations are underway as pressure mounts on security agencies to curb recurring attacks on schools in the region.
