In a recent development from Nigeria’s Kebbi state, all 24 schoolgirls who were taken by armed attackers last week have been successfully freed, the nation’s president revealed on Tuesday.
According to police reports, the girls were kidnapped at around 4 a.m. on November 17 by gunmen wielding “sophisticated weapons.” President Bola Tinubu, in a statement on Tuesday, confirmed the safe recovery of all 24 students.
“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for,” Tinubu expressed in his statement. “It is imperative that we immediately increase our security presence in vulnerable areas to prevent further kidnappings.”
Details about how the rescue operation was carried out or information about the kidnappers have not been disclosed.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu addresses the nation during the ‘October 1 Independence Day’ celebration in Abuja, Nigeria, on October 1, 2025. (Nigerian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
This incident in Kebbi is one of several recent large-scale abductions occurring across Nigeria.
A woman looks on as she walks past a classroom in Shehu Kangiwa Model Primary School in Argungu, Kebbi State, in northern Nigeria on April 12, 2025. (Leslie Fauvel / AFP via Getty Images)
Attackers raided a Catholic school Friday in north-central Niger state and abducted more than 300 students and staff.
School officials said Sunday that 50 students, ages 10 to 18, escaped individually between Friday and Saturday. A total of 253 students and 12 teachers were still being held, they said.
This photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria shows the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community in Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)
Nigeria has seen a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a “country of particular concern.” However, the Nigerian government has disputed the U.S. claims.
