Nigeria Delays G20 Trip to Lead Effort to Free 24 Abducted Schoolgirls

President Bola Tinubu has postponed his planned departure to the G20 summit in Johannesburg to personally oversee intensified operations aimed at rescuing 24 schoolgirls abducted earlier this week in northwest Nigeria. The decision follows the kidnapping at a girls' boarding school in Kebbi State and a separate attack on worshippers that left two people dead.

School abduction

The students were taken before dawn on Monday after armed men scaled the fence of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. Local police said the attackers exchanged fire with officers guarding the school, seized the girls and killed a staff member.

Community reaction and warnings

Local civil society leaders say residents warned security personnel of "suspicious movements" three days before the raid. Dan Juma Umar, a community leader in Maga, said the failure to act on those warnings contributed to the tragedy.

"We notified the security operatives of the planned attack. Had they acted on the information we provided, this tragedy could have been avoided," Umar said.

Escape and survivors

One 15-year-old student, Hawau Usman, who was taken during the attack managed to escape. "They kept moving, and when they left, I ran back to the school," she said. She later found shelter with a teacher after finding no response at the principal's house.

Government and military response

Mr. Tinubu said he had "directed the security agencies to act swiftly and bring the girls back to Kebbi State," calling the attackers "heartless terrorists" who disrupted the education of innocent students. Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, met with troops after the attack and ordered "intelligence-driven operations and relentless day-and-night pursuit of the abductors." He urged coordinated efforts among the military, police, and local vigilante groups.

Negotiation, intelligence and risks

Abuja-based security analyst Senator Iroegbu warned that abductors often control the immediate terms of a kidnapping and said intelligence efforts must be prioritized to locate the captors without endangering the girls. "If contact is established, negotiation — likely involving ransom — may be necessary," he said.

Broader context

The attack is part of a long pattern of kidnappings across northwestern Nigeria. Officials say at least 1,500 students have been abducted in the region since militants seized 276 Chibok schoolgirls over a decade ago. Security analysts and locals point to a mix of criminal banditry, former herders turned armed groups, failures to prosecute attackers and corruption that limits the effectiveness of security forces.

Families' demands

Families and local leaders have called for the immediate rescue of the remaining girls and stronger protection around schools. "Until the authorities secure the release of the girls still in captivity, we cannot feel at ease," said Usman Muhammad, whose daughter narrowly escaped.

Reporting: Dyepkazah Shibayan