Bandits have abducted 25 schoolgirls and killed a vice principal in a late-night attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, located in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The attack, which occurred on Sunday night, threw the community into mourning and reignited fears over the rising wave of school abductions in northern Nigeria.
Vice Principal Killed While Protecting Students
Sources said the bandits stormed the school and operated without resistance.
During the invasion, the attackers shot and killed the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, who was reportedly attempting to protect some of the girls.
Community members have been offering prayers for the slain educator, asking God to grant him mercy and comfort his grieving family.
Police Confirm Abduction of 25 Students
The Kebbi State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the incident, stating that 25 students were taken.
Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary to the Kebbi State Governor, Ahmed Idris, disclosed that Deputy Governor Senator Umar Tafida had been deployed to the school to assess the situation.
Governor Nasir Idris is currently out of the state, but officials say he has been fully briefed.
“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 at any moment from now,”
Idris said.
Parents and residents are anxiously awaiting more information on the fate of the abducted girls.
A Troubling Pattern of School Abductions
The attack in Maga is the latest in a disturbing series of mass kidnappings targeting schools in northern Nigeria.
Recent years have witnessed several large-scale abductions:
- February 2021:
317 girls kidnapped from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State. - February 2021:
Gunmen abducted 27 students and others from Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State. - December 2020:
303 students abducted from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State. - February 2018:
110 schoolgirls kidnapped from Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State. - April 2014:
Boko Haram abducted about 200 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State—a tragedy that sparked global outrage.
The Maga abduction has intensified calls for stronger security measures and urgent government action to protect students across vulnerable communities.
