Two schoolgirls kidnapped during Monday’s deadly attack on a boarding school in Kebbi State, north-western Nigeria, have escaped from their captors, a local official has confirmed to the BBC.
According to Hussaini Aliyu of the Danko Wasagu council, the girls fled while the armed abductors were marching them through bushland. They managed to slip away across surrounding farmlands. Both girls have been reunited with authorities, though one is receiving treatment for a leg injury sustained during the escape.
The raid on the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga left two staff members dead — a teacher who tried to shield students, and a security guard who later died from gunshot wounds.
Security forces, including soldiers, police units, and local volunteers, are combing the forests in an urgent search-and-rescue mission for the remaining abducted students.
Maj Gen Waidi Shaibu, Nigeria’s army chief of staff, urged troops to push relentlessly: “You must continue day and night. We must find these children.”
Schools across northern Nigeria have endured repeated attacks over the last decade, with armed groups — often referred to as “bandits” — targeting students for ransom or to pressure the government.
Police say the gunmen stormed the school at around 04:00 (03:00 GMT) on Monday, engaging security personnel in a fierce exchange before scaling the fence and seizing multiple girls from their hostel.
Families are now grappling with fear and heartbreak. One father told BBC Hausa that his family had been “crying non-stop” since learning that one of his daughters had been taken. Both girls had hidden in a toilet during the attack, but one panicked when the gunmen ordered those hiding to come out.
“She’s bright, gentle, and easy-going,” he said. “We haven’t slept since Monday.”
The grief is compounded for one family whose father — the school’s security guard — was killed in the attack. Both his granddaughter and great-granddaughter were among those abducted.
“I found him in a pool of blood,” his daughter said, describing the devastation. “And then they took my daughter and granddaughter too. I can’t eat or sleep.”
Nigeria’s federal government says it is “deeply concerned” about the abductions. Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi said authorities “share in the pain” of the families and are working urgently to secure the girls’ release. President Bola Tinubu, he added, remains “unwavering” in his commitment to protect schoolchildren.
The attack underscores the persistent security crisis in northern Nigeria, where repeated kidnappings continue to traumatize communities and strain national security efforts.