Nigeria has been plunged into yet another security shock as 25 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State were abducted during a violent dawn attack, raising fresh concerns about the safety of schools in the North-West.
According to the Kebbi State Police Command, the incident occurred at about 4:00am on Monday, when armed bandits, shooting sporadically, invaded the school in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area.
Police tactical teams on the ground engaged the attackers in a gun duel, but the gunmen had already breached the school’s perimeter and whisked away the students to an unknown location.
One resident, Hassan Makuku, was shot dead during the attack, while Ali Shehu sustained a gunshot injury to his hand.
In response, a combined reinforcement of police tactical units, military personnel and vigilantes has been deployed to track the bandits’ escape routes and comb nearby forests in an ongoing search-and-rescue operation.
Kebbi State Commissioner of Police, CP Bello M. Sani, assured residents of the Command’s “unwavering determination” to protect lives and property, urging the public to remain calm, vigilant and supportive of ongoing operations.
Security forces say efforts are intensifying to rescue the abducted students and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Efforts to get official comments from security agencies proved unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
However a resident, Malama Murjanatu Hassan Gishiri, who confirmed the incident on Monday, said the attackers stormed the school at night and operated freely, throwing the community into panic.
She described the invasion as “a heartbreaking tragedy that has thrown the entire region into deep fear and mourning”, adding that the bandits moved in large numbers and overpowered the area without resistance.
Gishiri said the late Vice Principal was shot while attempting to protect students from the attackers.
“People in the community have been offering prayers for his soul, asking Allah to grant him mercy, a peaceful resting place, and to console his family over this painful loss,” she said.