The Federal Government is reportedly planning to establish a joint task force comprising personnel from the military, police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to rescue recently abducted students.
This development follows a briefing President Bola Tinubu received from the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi, on the nation’s worsening security situation amid a new wave of school kidnappings.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed the meeting in a post on X on Saturday, stating that Ajayi met with the President at the State House on Friday night. Photographs released afterwards showed the DSS chief in the President’s office. No formal statement detailing the discussions was issued.
However, an official familiar with the meeting told Sunday PUNCH that talks focused on coordinated operations to track and rescue abducted schoolchildren, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions.
When contacted for confirmation on the creation of a task force, Onanuga said the arrangement “is possible,” but provided no further details.
The latest security measures come in the wake of multiple abductions. On Monday, at least 26 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, were kidnapped. In a separate attack, gunmen struck Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, killing two worshippers and abducting 38 others.
Then on Friday, more than 303 children and 12 teachers were seized when armed men attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
Following the Kebbi incident, President Tinubu on Thursday directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to the state and remain there to coordinate security operations and oversee the search for the missing girls.
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