President Bola Tinubu has denounced the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba and other soldiers in Borno State.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Wednesday, the President said he was “heartbroken by the abduction of our daughters in Kebbi and the painful loss of Brigadier General Musa Uba and the brave soldiers who fell in Borno.” He offered prayers for the victims’ families and the relatives of the abducted students.
Tinubu said the deaths of the troops on active duty left him “deeply saddened,” adding that he had directed security agencies to move swiftly to rescue the abducted schoolgirls and restore calm in the affected community.
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“I am also distressed that heartless terrorists have disrupted the education of innocent schoolgirls. I have instructed our security agencies to act with urgency to bring the girls home,” he said.
The President noted a recent spike in extremist attacks in some parts of the country and ordered security operatives to respond “with clarity and decisive action.” He also appealed for greater cooperation from communities, stressing that timely information could help protect lives.
He warned that anyone who endangers citizens “will face the full weight of the Nigerian state.”
The abductions took place in the early hours of Monday when gunmen stormed the dormitory of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. The attackers killed the school’s vice principal and a security guard before escaping with 25 students.
One of the girls was reported to have escaped as local hunters and security forces intensified search efforts for the remaining students.
In a separate incident, Brigadier General Musa Uba, commander of the Nigerian Army’s 25 Task Force Brigade in Damboa, Borno State, was reportedly ambushed and captured on Friday by fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province during a convoy operation near Wajiroko village.
The jihadist group claimed responsibility on Monday, saying it had executed the senior officer and other captured soldiers. The Nigerian Army initially disputed the claim, but Tinubu’s statement confirmed Uba’s death, describing him as one of the “brave soldiers who fell in Borno.”
