The bandits responsible for the abduction of 24 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, Kebbi State, have refuted the federal government’s claim that security forces rescued the students, insisting they were freed only after negotiations.
On November 17, 25 female students were abducted following an attack that left one school official dead and a security guard injured.
Two of the girls reportedly escaped while being led into the forest, according to a BBC report monitored in Gusau, Zamfara State.
The federal government announced on November 25 that all 24 remaining students had been rescued.
Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, praised security and intelligence personnel for their swift response, attributing the operation to President Bola Tinubu’s directive to ensure the girls’ safe return.
President Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, also commended the security agencies, describing the operation as a success.
However, a video circulating online tells a different story.
In the footage, one of the armed kidnappers questions the girls about military aircraft overhead during their captivity and whether they were mistreated, to which the girls said they were unharmed.
The kidnapper then boasted that the government could not have rescued them by force and had to negotiate their release.
The bandit concludes in the video: “We are letting you go after negotiations. Your government cannot rescue you with might. Your government has failed.”
