Fatimah Otunsanya
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday departed Abuja for Kebbi State on the directive of President Bola Tinubu to meet with state authorities and families of the schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga.
According to a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President’s spokesman and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Shettima will hold meetings with Governor Nasiru Idris of Kebbi, traditional rulers, security chiefs and parents of the kidnapped students.
“President Tinubu had specifically directed the Vice President to assure the people of Kebbi State that the Federal Government will ensure the quick and safe release of the abducted girls.
“During the visit, VP Shettima will also convey the President’s condolences over the recent security challenges and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to securing all educational institutions across the country,” the statement read.
Nkwocha said Shettima is accompanied on the trip by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda; the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro; the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar.
The VP’s visit follows a pre-dawn raid on Monday in which gunmen stormed the school, abducting at least 25 schoolgirls and killing the vice principal.
One of the girls, however, reportedly safely escaped, as hunters and security forces intensify their search for the remaining missing students.
The incident has escalated concerns over persistent banditry in the northwest region.
Earlier, President Tinubu expressed grief over the incident, saying he was “heartbroken” by the abduction and the simultaneous loss of Brigadier General Musa Uba and other soldiers in a separate attack in Borno State.