In Nigeria, Gunmen attacked the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Kebbi State, early on Monday, 17th November. They killed the vice principal and kidnapped 25 schoolgirls. The incident took place around 4 a.m. when armed men on motorcycles stormed the school, firing at police officers who were guarding the area.
After exchanging gunfire, the attackers climbed over the school fence and forcibly took the students from their dormitories. This incident marks the latest mass kidnapping in northwest Nigeria, where schools have been repeatedly targeted despite security efforts.
Police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi confirmed that Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku was shot dead while trying to counter the attackers. Another staff member was also injured in the attack. Following the incident, police, soldiers, and local vigilantes began a large search operation, combing nearby forests and suspected routes to find the missing students.
The school’s principal, Musa Rabi Magaji, later confirmed that one of the kidnapped girls managed to escape and returned home safely on Monday evening. He said, “One of the 25 kidnapped girls escaped through the forest and came back late on Monday. Another student, who was not among those taken, managed to flee during the attack.”
Security forces have since intensified their search, with the army launching intelligence-based operations day and night to track down the kidnappers.
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, visited the school in Maga on Tuesday, 18th November, and urged soldiers to act swiftly. He said, “We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional.” He also ordered troops to leave no stone unturned and work continuously until the girls are rescued.
Parents of the abducted students gathered at the school, hoping for news about their children. One father, Nazifi Isa, said he learned one of his daughters was taken. “Since yesterday, we haven’t eaten, and my wife is in tears. I can’t go back home because I know how much pain she’s in,” he said.
This is not the first time Kebbi State has experienced a school abduction. In June 2021, armed gangs kidnapped over 100 students and staff members from a government college in the same state. Those victims were later released in groups over two years after their parents paid ransoms. Some of the girls were forcefully married off and returned home with babies.
The latest attack also brings back painful memories of the 2014 tragedy in Chibok, where Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from their dormitory in Borno State. That event gained global attention and outrage. Many of those girls escaped or were eventually freed, but some were never found.
Till now, no group has claimed responsibility for this abduction, but security officials and locals believe it could be one of the armed gangs known for kidnapping students, travellers, and villagers for ransom across northwest Nigeria.
Over the past decade, Nigeria has struggled with rising insecurity across different regions. Armed groups and insurgents continue to launch attacks, while kidnappings for ransom have become common. Despite government promises to strengthen security, hundreds of students have been kidnapped from schools since 2014.
Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State has visited the school and assured parents that efforts are ongoing to rescue the missing girls. Security forces remain in the area, searching forests and major roads around Maga town, determined to bring the children home safely.
