Nigeria School Attack: 25 Boarding Girls Kidnapped, One Staff Member Killed
Gunmen kidnap students and kill staff in pre-dawn attack.
Armed assailants stormed a government girls’ secondary school in Maga, Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, northwestern Nigeria, at approximately 4 a.m. on Monday, abducting 25 boarding students and killing at least one staff member. The attackers, arriving on multiple motorcycles, first targeted the teachers’ quarters and the security post before entering the girls’ dormitory.
According to local sources, the gunmen executed one teacher in his residence and shot a security guard during an exchange of fire. Kebbi State Police Command spokesperson Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi confirmed the abduction of 25 students and one confirmed death, with another individual wounded. A resident whose daughter and granddaughter were among those taken stated that two persons were killed, though police have not yet verified the higher figure.
A joint task force comprising military, police, and local vigilante units has been deployed to track the abductors through surrounding forests and known escape routes. Authorities believe the attack was carried out by criminal gangs commonly referred to as “bandits,” who operate primarily for ransom and are not affiliated with jihadist groups such as Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa Province.
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Mass abductions of students have plagued northern Nigeria since 2014, when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. While the frequency of such incidents had declined following enhanced security measures and temporary school closures in high-risk areas, Monday’s assault demonstrates the continued vulnerability of educational institutions in the region’s poorly policed rural zones.
The incident has triggered widespread condemnation and renewed demands for decisive federal action to dismantle bandit networks and secure schools across northwestern Nigeria. Rescue operations remain ongoing, with security forces racing against time to locate the abducted girls before they are moved across state or international borders.
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