A violent dawn attack on a girls’ secondary school in north-western Nigeria has left one teacher dead and at least 25 students abducted, according to police reports.
The incident occurred at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, at around 4:00am local time on Monday. Authorities say the armed men stormed the school, exchanging gunfire with officers before breaching the perimeter fence and whisking the girls away from their hostel.
A staff member was fatally shot while attempting to shield the students, while another was injured and is currently receiving treatment.
Witnesses recount that the attackers — identified locally as bandits — arrived in large numbers, firing randomly to create panic. They reportedly marched several girls into nearby bushland after overpowering security personnel.
Security agencies have since deployed additional police tactical teams, military units, and local vigilante groups to comb the forests and possible escape routes. A coordinated search and rescue operation is underway.
For more than a decade, schools across northern Nigeria have faced repeated attacks by armed groups who target students for ransom or political leverage. Authorities have outlawed ransom payments in a bid to reduce the incentive for such abductions.
This marks the first major school kidnapping since March 2024, when over 200 students were seized from a school in Kuriga, Kaduna State.
The latest assault underscores the persistent insecurity haunting communities in the region, leaving families in Maga in deep distress as they await news of their daughters.