All soldiers deployed to Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga—where terrorists abducted 26 schoolgirls on November 17—have been summoned to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja as investigators probe why the troops withdrew around 1am, shortly before the attack that left Vice Principal Malam Hassan Makuku dead.
A senior official confirmed the interrogation, while the District Head of Maga said, “unknown to us, they left the school around 1am.”
Governor Nasir Idris, citing prior intelligence that the school might be targeted, has demanded answers. Although two girls escaped and the remaining 24 were later freed through what security sources admitted was a mix of confrontation and “communication” with the bandits, a viral video showed a bandit leader claiming their release followed negotiations.
Despite the trauma, parents insist their children will return to school, with one father saying, “My children will go to school… by God’s will, I will keep it,” as the community reaffirms its commitment to education.