Kebbi Schoolgirls Release: Bandits Claim Government Negotiated in Newly Surfaced Video

Fresh controversy has erupted over the release of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State after a new video surfaced showing bandits boasting that the Nigerian government engaged in negotiations before the students were freed.

The girls — kidnapped from Government Girls’ Secondary School, Maga — were released on Tuesday, with federal and state officials insisting no ransom was paid. But footage shared on X by @AM_Saleeem appears to contradict those claims, capturing armed men interrogating the students about military aircraft spotted during their captivity.

In the video, a gunman asks the girls how many jets had flown over the forest. “Uncountable,” they responded. The bandit then mocked the authorities, claiming security forces failed to rescue the students by force.
“Your government cannot rescue you with might. We are letting you go after negotiations,” he declared.

The captors are also heard asking the girls whether they were starved or assaulted during their days in captivity. The students replied “no” to both questions. Another kidnapper assured them they would be taken home safely, saying the release was “based on peace deals.”

The footage emerged hours after Kebbi State governor Nasir Idris, alongside Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, announced that all abducted students had regained their freedom. Officials later released images of the girls smiling inside a bus as they were transported to Birnin Kebbi for documentation and reunion with their families.

The attack on the school, which left the vice-principal dead, is the latest in a series of violent assaults targeting educational institutions across northern Nigeria, renewing calls for stronger security measures and urgent reforms.

Authorities say the girls will be formally handed over to their parents on Wednesday.