Tinubu places security on highest alert, orders swift rescue of abducted Kebbi schoolgirls
Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, says the federal government committed to rescuing the abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi state and strengthening the national response to insecurity.
Idris spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a news conference, where he briefed journalists on ongoing efforts to tackle terrorism and violent crime across the country.
The minister said President Bola Tinubu had placed all security agencies on their “highest alert ever” and directed them to intensify operations aimed at eliminating terrorists, bandits and criminal networks nationwide.
He added that all available resources are being deployed to secure the release of the schoolgirls and restore peace to affected communities.
“Let it be known that the President has put our nation’s security apparatus on the highest alert ever and has deployed them to actively pursue and eliminate terrorists, bandits, and criminal elements wherever they may be in Nigeria,” he said.
“Our security forces have also been mandated to swiftly rescue the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls and reunite them with their families.”
Idris conveyed the president’s sympathies to citizens affected by recent attacks, describing the perpetrators as “enemies of the Nigerian nation.”
He noted that the killing of a senior army general, the abduction of students in Kebbi, and the attack on a church in Kwara were painful reminders of the threats confronting the country.
He said the assault on security personnel, young students and places of worship had further strengthened the government’s resolve to “deal a permanent blow” to terrorism.
The minister disclosed that President Tinubu had postponed his planned international engagements, including the G20 meeting in South Africa, to focus on domestic security developments.
He said the president has also directed the military and police to deploy additional personnel to Eruku and other parts of Ekiti LGA in Kwara state.
The minister said Vice-President Kashim Shettima, acting on the president’s directive, was in Birnin Kebbi for meetings with Governor Nasir Idris, security chiefs, traditional rulers and relatives of the abducted schoolgirls.
Idris also warned against attempts to frame the security situation in sectarian terms, stressing that the federal government “categorically refutes any characterisation of the situation along religious lines.”
