A young female student who was taken captive along with 24 others from a boarding school in northwestern Nigeria has managed to flee and is now in a safe location, as stated by the school’s head to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Hunters have joined forces with security personnel in the search for the missing students in the forests near the school.
The abduction of the girls occurred in the early hours of Monday when armed individuals attacked the dormitory at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, located in Kebbi state. According to local authorities, the perpetrators breached the school premises by climbing over the fence, engaged in a shootout with police officers, seized the girls, and tragically killed a staff member.
Although no specific group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, experts and locals point out that criminal gangs frequently target schools, travelers, and remote communities for ransom kidnappings. These bandits are primarily former herders who have turned to violence against farming communities following disputes over limited resources.
Notably, mass abductions at schools are a recurring issue in northern Nigeria, with the Kebbi school situated near areas of conflict such as Zamfara and Sokoto states, known to harbor multiple criminal gangs. One student who managed to escape the gunmen shortly after the attack did not fall victim to abduction, as confirmed by the school principal, Musa Rabi Magaji.
The escaped student returned home late on Monday, a few hours post the abduction incident, while another student managed to evade capture during the raid and remained unharmed. The schoolgirls, depicted in a video authenticated by AP, seem to be in their early teens and were seen in the company of family members and villagers, clad in hijabs.
Efforts to locate and rescue the remaining abducted students have intensified, with security forces and hunters conducting thorough searches in nearby forests where criminal groups often hide. Notably, Kebbi Governor Nasir Idris visited the school to reassure the community of rescue operations, while Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu instructed intelligence-driven operations and continuous pursuit of the abductors.
Families in Maga recounted the terrifying predawn attack, with deserted dormitories and classrooms. Residents anxiously awaited news of their children’s safety, expressing dismay and frustration. Eyewitnesses like Abdulkarim Abdullahi and Amina Hassan shared harrowing experiences of the attack, detailing the tragic events that unfolded during the raid.
The region has witnessed numerous abductions, with over 1,500 students abducted since the high-profile incident involving Boko Haram extremists kidnapping 276 Chibok schoolgirls a decade ago. In addition to extremist groups, criminal gangs are active in the area, often resorting to school abductions to draw public attention.
Analysts and residents attribute the prevailing insecurity to the lack of prosecution of known perpetrators and pervasive corruption that hampers security forces’ access to weapons while enabling gangs to thrive. Security analyst Oluwole Ojewale emphasized that strategic kidnappings, such as those involving schoolchildren, garner significant attention amidst the ongoing security challenges in the region.
