• Source:JND
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A deadly pre-dawn raid on Monday has left Nigeria reeling after armed gunmen stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, kidnapping 25 female students. The attackers invaded the campus at around 4 am local time, engaging security personnel in a fierce gun battle before scaling the perimeter fence to reach the hostels.

Police confirmed that the assailants, armed with “sophisticated weapons,” fired indiscriminately as they advanced. Despite the presence of officers on duty, the gang was able to overpower the security team and forcefully abduct the students.

Staff Member Killed While Defending Students

The school’s deputy head was shot dead while attempting to protect the girls during the raid. A security guard also sustained gunshot wounds and is currently undergoing medical treatment. A report prepared for the United Nations described the attack as “highly coordinated and brutally executed.”

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Authorities say military reinforcements, police tactical units, and local vigilante groups have been deployed across suspected escape routes and surrounding forests as part of an extensive search-and-rescue mission.

Second Mass Abduction In Kebbi In Four Years

This incident marks Kebbi State’s second mass school kidnapping in recent years. In June 2021, more than 100 students and staff members were abducted from a government college, highlighting the region’s continued vulnerability to armed criminal groups.

Northwest Nigeria has faced a surge in violence from heavily armed gangs, widely referred to as “bandits,” who terrorise communities through kidnappings, extortion, cattle theft, and village raids. Despite promises by federal and state authorities to bolster security, the cycle of abductions persists, with schools often targeted due to ransom value. 

Nigeria continues to struggle with widespread armed violence that has plagued the nation since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009. The 2014 abduction of 270 schoolgirls in Chibok by the extremist group remains one of the darkest chapters in the country’s recent history, with some victims still missing.

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