Mohammed Nasir Idris, the governor of Kebbi State, fumed over what he noted as failure to act on credible intelligence provided by the Department of State Services (DSS) that the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, was under the threat of attack.
The governor said, “This is clear sabotage. We got credible intelligence from the DSS (Department of State Services) that this school was likely to be attacked. DSS further advised that we convene an emergency Security Council meeting, which we did. And the decision was that we would provide round-the-clock protection for the students.”
Idris said security personnel were deployed to secure the school, but they left 30 minutes before the attack.
A reliable source said, "The heavily armed security men spent the entire night guarding the school. Sadly, for yet-to-be determined reasons, they reportedly left the school before dawn. About 30 minutes after they withdrew, the kidnappers struck, abducting the students," offered the teacher.
"I believe it was the accuracy and credibility of the intelligence supplied by the DSS on the school that made Governor Idris appoint their director to head the special committee he set up.
"The good news is that there is sufficient reason to believe that the girls were kidnapped, not killed. With ongoing efforts by the federal and state governments, we are hopeful that they will all be rescued.”
The governor, who was accompanied by the security chiefs in the state, visited the scene of the incident on Monday evening and announced the establishment of a panel to coordinate the safe return of the kidnapped students, to be headed by the State DSS director.