Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Army Staff, has linked the recent abduction of schoolgirls at Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Kebbi State to a staff sergeant who abandoned his post without authorization, leaving the school unguarded.
In a video shared by ESET TV, General Shaibu explained that a military team had been assigned to protect the school under the sergeant’s supervision. However, the officer withdrew the soldiers on his own initiative shortly before the attack, creating a security gap that the kidnappers exploited.
“The problem we had in Kebbi, where those schoolgirls were abducted, happened because we put our faith in a staff sergeant. He was deployed there and, on his own, without any directives, left before the incident took place,” Shaibu said, stressing that the decision was entirely unauthorized.
The incident has raised significant concerns about accountability and operational discipline within the military. An investigation is underway to determine appropriate action against the officer and to prevent similar lapses in the future.
