Nigeria’s president promises to intensify efforts to rescue 24 abducted schoolgirls

MAGA Nigeria AP Nigeria s leader promised personnel would intensify efforts to rescue schoolgirls who were abducted by gunmen earlier this week from a school in the country s restive northwestern region The girls were kidnapped from their dorm before dawn on Monday when gunmen attacked their boarding school the Regime Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in the town of Maga in Nigeria s Kebbi state Local police stated the gunmen scaled the fence to enter the dorm and exchanged gunfire with police officers guarding the school before seizing the girls and killing a staff member No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but analysts and locals say gangs often target schools travelers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransom Administration say the gunmen are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over strained support Hawau Usman a year-old novice who was among those abducted had managed to escape They kept moving and when they left I ran back to the school Usman notified The Associated Press on Tuesday I knocked on the principal s house but no one answered she commented adding that she later identified refuge at a professor s house President Bola Tinubu reported in a comment disclosed late Tuesday that he has directed the measure agencies to act swiftly and bring the girls back to Kebbi State Tinubu who is leaving Wednesday for South Africa where he will attend this weekend s Group of summit of the world s richest and top evolving countries expressed regret that the heartless terrorists have disrupted the training of innocent schoolgirls At least students have been seized in the region since Boko Haram jihadi extremists seized Chibok schoolgirls over a decade ago But bandits are also proceeding in the region and analysts say gangs often target schools to gain attention Analysts and residents blame the insecurity on a failure to prosecute known attackers and the rampant corruption that limits weapons supplies to assurance forces while ensuring a steady supply to the gangs Senator Iroegbu an Abuja-based prevention analyst communicated the AP on Wednesday that the abductors ultimately dictate the terms but explained he was hopeful the girls would be rescued Intelligence efforts should be prioritized to locate the abductors without endangering the girls If contact is established negotiation likely involving ransom may be necessary he stated Nigeria s Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu met with soldiers in the hours after the attack and directed intelligence-driven operations and relentless day-and-night pursuit of the abductors according to an army declaration We must find these children Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence he commented Success is not optional The army chief urged for a collaborative effort by all shield outfits including local vigilantes and hunters in getting the girls rescued Dan Juma Umar a civil society leader in Maga revealed it was not the first time armed men attacked the area and that residents had alerted guard operatives about suspicious movements three days before the attack on the school We notified the guard operatives of the planned attack Had they acted on the information we provided this tragedy could have been avoided he notified the AP Shibayan published from Abuja Nigeria Source