Tuesday November 18, 2025
www.thenewsdesk.ng
The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, November 18, urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately direct the Armed Forces to recruit at least 100,000 additional personnel to strengthen national security amid rising attacks across the country.
The call followed a motion raised by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi North), who detailed a recent assault on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where gunmen abducted 25 students and fatally shot Vice Principal Malam Hassan Makuku.
Yahaya described the attack as “a slap on the face of our nation” and warned that repeated assaults on schools threaten the education and safety of children, particularly girls.
He recalled a similar 2022 abduction in the state that took four years to resolve.
“This terrorism targeting students must stop,” he said, urging prompt action from security agencies. He also appealed to President Tinubu to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
In response, the Senate established an ad hoc committee, including the Committee on Finance, to review the Safe School Initiative, examining its funding, expenditure, and effectiveness in protecting schools.
Lawmakers expressed concern that repeated attacks raise questions about whether allocated resources were properly utilised.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio condemned the recurring incidents, citing the Chibok girls’ kidnapping in 2014 as a cautionary example.
He emphasised that these attacks are under global scrutiny and observed a minute of silence for Makuku, who died protecting his students.
The abduction occurred on Sunday night in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area. Witnesses reported widespread panic as the bandits operated without resistance.
The Federal Government, through Information Minister Mohammed Idris, condemned the attack and confirmed that security and intelligence agencies have been instructed to rescue the students and bring the attackers to justice.
Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris visited Maga to meet parents, traditional leaders, and security officials, assuring them: “We will do everything possible to ensure that their children are rescued and safely returned.”