Kebbi Governor Blasts Security Agencies Over Alleged Failure to Act on Intelligence Before School Kidnap

Kebbi State Governor, Mohammed Nasir Idris, on Monday night expressed outrage over what he described as a failure by security agencies to act on credible intelligence from the Department of State Services (DSS) warning of an impending attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area.

In the early hours of Monday, suspected gunmen invaded the school, reportedly killing the vice principal and abducting 25 female students. Three students escaped from the attackers.

A top security source told Pointblanknews.com that Governor Idris, who arrived at the school at about 6:45 p.m. on Monday, accused unnamed security agencies of undermining his administration’s security efforts.

“This is clear sabotage. We got credible intelligence from the DSS that this school was likely to be attacked. DSS further advised that we convene an emergency Security Council meeting which we did. And the decision was that we would provide round-the-clock protection for the students,” the governor said.

He added that he took the DSS warning seriously, recalling that failure to act on similar intelligence contributed to the December 2020 kidnapping of over 300 pupils in Kankara, Katsina State.

According to the governor, security personnel were deployed to protect the school. Still, instead of maintaining vigilance, they spent time taking photographs with the students before abandoning their post just 30 minutes before the attack occurred.

Idris, who visited the school in the company of state security chiefs, announced the creation of a special investigation panel to determine how the kidnappers managed to strike despite the intelligence report and government efforts. The panel, which is also tasked with coordinating the safe return of the abducted students, will be headed by the State Director of the DSS.

A teacher who escaped the attack told Pointblanknews.com he was shocked by the incident, noting that several armed personnel had been deployed on Sunday, interacting with students and teachers and conducting emergency drills.

“The heavily armed security men spent the entire night guarding the school. Sadly, for yet-to-be determined reasons, they reportedly left the school before dawn. About 30 minutes after they withdrew, the kidnappers struck, abducting the students,” the teacher said.

He added that the accuracy of the DSS intelligence and the governor’s trust in it likely informed Idris’s decision to appoint the DSS director as head of the special committee.

“The good news is that there is sufficient reason to believe that the girls were kidnapped, not killed. With ongoing efforts by the federal and state governments, we are hopeful that they will all be rescued,” he stated.