Report Contradicts FG’s Position, Claims Kebbi Schoolgirls Were Freed Through Negotiation

A new report has challenged the Federal Government’s claim that the 24 abducted schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, Kebbi State, were rescued by security forces, alleging instead that their freedom was secured through negotiation with the kidnappers.

The incident occurred on November 17, when bandits attacked the school, killing an official and injuring a security guard before whisking away 25 female students. Two of the girls reportedly escaped while being led through the forest.

A BBC Hausa report, monitored from Gusau, quoted Hussaini Aliyu, an official from Danko Wasagu Local Government Area, as confirming that the two students fled after taking a chance to break away through surrounding farmlands. Aliyu later released the full list of the abducted girls on November 19.

The remaining 24 schoolgirls returned home on Tuesday, November 25, with the government announcing that they had been rescued by a tactical team.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, issued a statement crediting the successful operation to directives from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, praising security agencies for their “swift response” and professionalism.

However, the legitimacy of the rescue claim is now being questioned following the emergence of a video suggesting that negotiations preceded the girls’ release. In the footage, armed men interrogated the girls about fighter jets that flew over the forest while they were held captive. The students responded that the aircraft passed overhead numerous times.

The abductors, in the same video, bragged that security agents were unable to force their way into the camp and had no choice but to engage in negotiation.

> “We are letting you go after negotiations. Your government cannot rescue you with might. Your government has failed,” one of the gunmen declared at the end of the recording.

The Federal Government has yet to respond to the claims raised in the footage.