President Bola Tinubu has ordered an intensified, round-the-clock security operation across Niger, Kebbi and Kwara states following the release of dozens of kidnap victims, including 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls’ Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State.The girls were seized at dawn on November 17, shortly after a military team left the school premises.

Their release was confirmed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who noted that the development comes amid a worrying rise in copycat kidnappings in multiple states. In Kwara State, all 38 worshippers abducted during a church service in Eruku were freed on Sunday through what the Presidency described as a “Well-coordinated intelligence operation” involving the military and the Department of State Services. In Niger State, 50 abducted students of a Catholic school in Papiri also escaped and reunited with their families after days in captivity.President Tinubu commended the security agencies for their roles in the successful rescues but directed them to intensify operations to secure anyone still held by terrorists.“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must urgently deploy more boots on the ground in vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping. My government will offer all the assistance needed to achieve this,” the President said.Meanwhile, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, announced that the President has ordered total aerial surveillance of forests in Niger, Kwara and Kebbi—hotspots where bandits are believed to be hiding. Security forces have been instructed to maintain 24-hour surveillance and coordinate closely with ground troops.Communities in affected areas have also been urged to provide timely intelligence to aid security operations.The Presidency stressed that direct military assaults on terrorists’ hideouts are approached with caution to avoid civilian casualties, as bandits often use captives as human shields.With the latest rescues, Tinubu reiterated his administration’s commitment to protecting schools, rural communities and vulnerable populations amid the continued threat of banditry across the North.Northern Govs Convene Emergency Meeting Over Security CrisisThe 19 Northern State Governors will hold a crucial meeting on Saturday (November 29) to discuss the region’s pressing security challenges.Senior Special Assistant to the Nasarawa State Governor on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba disclosed this in a phone interview.According to Peter Ahemba, the Northern Governors’ meeting, scheduled for November 29, will hold in Kaduna.He said prominent traditional rulers will attend the meeting.“The meeting aims to develop a unified approach to tackling security concerns affecting the region and discuss the way forward on security matters.”Ahemba assured that decisive decisions will be made during meeting to ensure the region security.“Due to the security challenges in some northern states, the Nasarawa State government has taken proactive measures by organizing an emergency security meeting, where decisive decisions will be made to prevent any breach of security in the state.”“It is the duty of citizens to help deal with security threats in our country and state. Therefore, citizens must do well by providing security agencies with relevant information about individuals with criminal tendencies.”Niger Assembly Threatens to Halt Legislative Activities over Worsening InsecurityThe Niger State House of Assembly has issued a stern warning that it may shut down legislative activities if the current security issues in the state are not promptly resolved, emphasising that the state is under siege from bandits and other terrorists.The Assembly explicitly called for the immediate rescue of pupils and students from St. Mary’s Catholic Missionary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, warning that the security situation has become critically alarming.This appeal followed a motion of Urgent Public Importance brought forward by the representative of the Agwara constituency, Hon. Mohammed Nura Agwara, who described the abduction of the students as tragic and unfortunate.The assembly members unanimously condemned the incident that took place last Friday at St. Mary’s Catholic Missionary School, recognising that the situation is escalating beyond control.The House Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, presiding over the session, stated that the House would not hesitate to halt legislative business entirely until concrete steps are taken to improve security in the state.“Let us not pretend about the current situation. The state is now in the eyes of the world due to security challenges, and investors are beginning to pull out, while contractors handling various road projects have deserted their sites.“The current security situation has undermined all efforts by the current administration to transform the state. Immediate actions are essential; otherwise, we may be forced to shut down legislative operations since we represent the people,” Sarkindaji declared.The Speaker also lamented that over 50 communities, including his own political ward, have been displaced from their ancestral homes and abandoned their farms within his Mariga Constituency.“Farmers who used to harvest hundreds of bags of grain are now begging for food. We can no longer stay silent as representatives of the people.“It is time to set aside our differences and confront these challenges head-on. If schools and markets can be shut down due to insecurity, then shutting down legislative business is also justified until the situation improves,” he maintained.He called for the deployment of troops to key areas identified as bandit routes across the state, criticising the lack of action despite numerous appeals by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago for security deployment.“These dangerous routes, known to security forces, are the only pathways the bandits use for operations. Despite this knowledge, nothing has been done.“I am confident the abducted students will be moved through these same routes, likely to Zamfara, as they have no other routes, but nothing has been done about it,” he added.Following extensive discussions, the House adopted a four-point resolution: urging the federal government to mobilise all available resources for the immediate rescue of the abducted students, calling for troop deployment to strategic locations and bandit routes, and pledging to coordinate with the national assembly members from the state to present the resolutions.The members, however, warned that “if action is not taken within two weeks, the House will shut down all legislative activities,” it concluded.