The Senate has urged the federal government to urgently recruit at least 100,000 additional military personnel to strengthen security operations following the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State.
The resolution was reached after lawmakers debated a motion on the attack at Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, where terrorists kidnapped 25 students, killed the vice principal, and injured the principal.
The motion was sponsored by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (APC–Kebbi), who said the incident happened despite the presence of security operatives. He described the abduction as a disturbing reminder of Nigeria’s lingering security challenges and warned that repeated attacks on schools continue to discourage parents from sending their children to school.
Senator Yahaya recalled a similar abduction in Kebbi in 2022, noting that it took four years before the victims were fully rescued. He said previous measures, including temporary school closures, were clearly inadequate and urged security agencies to act swiftly to rescue the girls and arrest the kidnappers.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC–Cross River) described the attack as heartbreaking, saying no child should feel unsafe in a learning environment. He called for decisive action and greater accountability from security agencies.
Senator Sani Musa (APC–Niger) noted that Nigeria’s armed forces are overstretched, pointing out that roughly 177,000 personnel are responsible for protecting a population of over 230 million people. He urged traditional rulers and local communities to work closely with security agencies by exposing criminal elements.
The Senate also set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the Safe School Programme. The committee—comprising members from the finance, education, defence, army, and navy committees—will review funding, utilisation of resources, and the reasons the programme has failed to adequately protect schools.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio sympathised with families of the victims and urged Nigerians with useful information to assist security agencies in securing the release of the abducted girls. He noted that while no nation is entirely free of crime, the Senate must continue to take decisions that help reduce insecurity.
Lawmakers later observed a minute of silence in honour of the vice principal and the abducted students.
[NAN]