COAS orders intensified rescue operations for abducted Kebbi schoolgirls

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has issued a firm directive to troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA to escalate efforts to recover students kidnapped from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) Maga in Danko/Wasagu LGA, Kebbi State.

This was made known in a statement on Tuesday by Captain David Adewusi, Media Information Officer of Operation FANSAN YANMA.

During a Monday, 17 November 2025 operational tour of Kebbi, General Shaibu charged frontline commanders and soldiers to pursue the abductors relentlessly.

“We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional,” he declared.

Highlighting the importance of community collaboration, Shaibu engaged local vigilantes and hunters, calling them “critical partners” who should use their knowledge of the terrain to assist troops in locating and neutralising the criminals.

“Together, we will restore peace and ensure children can attend school safely,” he emphasised.

Earlier, the COAS offered condolences to the Traditional Ruler of Danko, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim Allaje, and the Principal of GGCSS Maga, Hajiya Rabi Musa Magaji, reaffirming the military’s unwavering commitment to bringing back the abducted students unharmed.

He concluded by urging troops to remain resilient and professional, advising them to “act within the rules of engagement while remaining responsive, disciplined, and resolute in restoring peace to Kebbi State and surrounding areas.”