Bandits have abducted 25 schoolgirls and killed the Vice Principal of Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in a brutal attack on Sunday night in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The assailants reportedly stormed the school around midnight, shooting sporadically before whisking away dozens of students. According to local sources, the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, was shot dead while trying to protect the girls from the attackers.
Residents say the bandits operated unchallenged, throwing the entire community into panic and mourning. Prayers have continued to pour in for Makuku, with community members asking Allah to grant him mercy, a peaceful rest, and to comfort his family over the tragic loss.
Kebbi State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed that 25 students were abducted during the deadly assault.
Meanwhile, Governor Nasir Idris has dispatched his deputy, Senator Umar Tafida, to the school to assess the situation. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ahmed Idris, said Tafida was sent to represent the governor, who is currently out of the state.
“The deputy governor is on his way to know the exact situation. The governor is not in the state for now, but his deputy will go on his behalf until he returns,” he said.
Parents and community members are anxiously awaiting official updates on the condition and whereabouts of the abducted students.
The attack adds to a disturbing pattern of mass abductions of schoolchildren in northern Nigeria, where banditry and insecurity continue to rise.
- February 2021: 317 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State.
- February 2021: Gunmen raided Government Science College Kagara, Niger State, abducting 41 people, including 27 students.
- December 2020: 303 students kidnapped from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
- February 2018: 110 female students abducted from Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State.
- April 2014: Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in one of the most infamous mass abductions in Nigeria’s history.
The latest attack in Kebbi State underscores the persistent insecurity facing schools in northern Nigeria and the urgent need for better protection of students and staff.
