The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has assured families of the abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State, as well as killers of the late Brigadier-General Musa Uba and the late Vice Principal of the school that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deeply troubled by the tragic incidents. He vowed that the government will deploy all instruments of the state to rescue the schoolchildren and ensure their abductors, and killers of the gallant military general and the vice principal are made to face the full weight of justice. The Vice President, who spoke on Wednesday while in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, on the directive of President Tinubu, described the abduction of the schoolgirls from the boarding school in Maga as an assault on the collective conscience of all Nigerians.

The President had on Tuesday evening asked the VP to visit the state to sympathize with the state government and assure parents and guardians of the kidnapped schoolgirls that the government will ensure their quick release. Extending President Tinubu's sympathy to families of the abducted schoolgirls and the state government, Senator Shettima said, "Kebbi’s pain is Nigeria’s pain. When one child is taken, every home in this nation grieves. When girls in the safety of their classroom are seized by criminals, our collective conscience is assaulted.

On behalf of the President, VP Shettima assured them that their tears, fears, and cries are a stain on Nigeria's collective conscience, and that the nation "shall not turn away from this responsibility. The Vice President promised that the federal government will support families of the late General Uba, the late Vice Principal and others who were killed by the terror groups, while doing everything possible to rescue the abducted schoolgirls.


He commended the gallant officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and all paramilitary and intelligence agencies for their gallantry in the face of security challenges confronting the nation. On his part, the Governor of Kebbi State thanked President Tinubu for the show of support, concern and immense leadership. He said that since the incidents happened, the President had been in touch with the state government, noting that with the commitment and efforts of the government, he was optimistic that the kidnapped schoolgirls would soon be rescued. Governor Idris particularly thanked Vice President Shettima for the show of concern, even as he affirmed the state's commitment and loyalty to the Tinubu administration, vowing continued partnership and cooperation with the Federal Government in ensuring the release of the girls.