By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The 25 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State have been rescued, officials close to the Kebbi Government House confirmed on Tuesday.
The girls were freed earlier in the day and are currently being transported to the Government House in Birnin Kebbi, where they will undergo medical checks and debriefing.
“The girls have been freed. They are on their way to the State House,” said a senior official.
Although full details of the operation remain unclear, security sources indicated that the breakthrough came after intensified joint operations involving the military, police, local vigilantes, and intelligence units deployed across forest corridors.
President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday ordered a total security cordon and 24-hour aerial surveillance across Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara States, instructing the Air Force to sweep forest hideouts believed to shelter multiple kidnap gangs.
The students were abducted last week when armed men stormed their boarding school in Maga during the early morning hours.
The Kebbi State Government has yet to release an official statement, but an announcement is expected once the girls arrive safely in Birnin Kebbi.