Dozens of schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi

From Ismail Adebayo, Birnin Kebbi, Baba Martins & Dalhatu Liman, Abuja   Bandits on Monday attacked the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga in Danko Wasango Local Government Area of Kebbi State, and abducted dozens of students. Daily Trust gathered that the Vice Principal of the school, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed while the principal […]

From Ismail Adebayo, Birnin Kebbi, Baba Martins & Dalhatu Liman, Abuja

 

Bandits on Monday attacked the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga in Danko Wasango Local Government Area of Kebbi State, and abducted dozens of students.

Daily Trust gathered that the Vice Principal of the school, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed while the principal was shot by the gunmen.

The incident which occurred at about 5am on Monday is coming about four years after bandits attacked the Federal Government Girls College, Birnin Yauri, also in Kebbi State.  In the Birnin Yauri incident, 86 students and five teachers were abducted while a police officer was killed.

It took over two years before the administration of former governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu rescued the girls from their abductors.

It would be recalled that the Bagudu administration about five years ago shut down the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, following fears of attack. Daily Trust gathered that the school was only reopened after security was beefed up around the institution.

According to the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, the police tactical units were deployed to the school before the attack took place on Monday. They were said to have engaged the bandits in a gun duel but were unable to save the girls because the bandits had already gained access to the girls’ hostel after scaling the fence.

He added that the vice principal of the school who attempted to rescue the girls as they were being taken by the bandits was shot dead. One Ali Shehu was also injured, he said.

He added that the command’s tactical units, the military and members of the vigilante group have been deployed to the forests and are currently combing the bandits’ routes to rescue the girls.

 

Rescue our daughter, parents urge govt

A father to one of the abducted girls, Aliyu Yakubu said, “The attack has increased our fear in Maga. We are now in fear and mourning over our children that were taken and the vice principal that was killed. My child was one of the girls that were abducted. My fear is that this should not be like the case of the Birnin Yauri Federal Government College, where the abducted girls were in captivity for over two years. We appeal to both the state and federal government to rescue our children from the bandits. This is a terrible situation for us,” he said.

A leader in the area, Rabiu Abubakar, said the community woke up to the sad news. He added that the incident left many people, particularly parents’ heart broken.

“They took our children and killed the school’s vice principal. It’s a great loss for the community and the school”, he said.

Three other parents who spoke to our correspondent, Kabir Muhammad Maga, Lawali Altine and Tukur Sani, lamented the situation, saying they were in pains. Malam Tukur Sani said he was informed of the incident by a community member who rushed to his house in the early hours of the day to inform him that his child, Aisha, had been kidnapped by the bandits.

“I did not believe it until I got to the school where I met other parents crying. My appeal is to the government. Let them rescue our children”, he said.

On his own, Lawali Altine, said he has put everything in the hands of God. “I believe that God will bring the girls back home soon. My child will come back to me. I appeal to the government and the security agents deployed to look for them and not relent in their efforts in finding them for us”, he said.

Muhammad Maga, the father of one of the girls, Nafisah, was close to tears while speaking to Daily Trust.

He said, “I just pray they will help me and bring my child back; she is all I have. I appeal to Governor Nasir Idris to do all he can to bring the girls back. He has been a good governor and he has tried in the last two years to restore peace in our community. We know his commitment to security but we want him to help us and rescue our daughters in no distance time”.

Maga has come under bandits’ attacks in recent time. Daily Trust gathered that it is one of the communities in Zuru Emirate that’s being troubled by the bandits.

 

FG pledges to find the girls

The federal government, yesterday, expressed “deep concern and solidarity” with the families of the students.

A statement by Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, said the federal government shared in the pain of those abducted and their families, adding that the government is “firmly committed to bringing the girls home safely.”

The minister reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to the protection of every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren.

“The government condemns the reprehensible attack on innocent students and the killing of school officials who were carrying out their noble duty.

“Our security and intelligence agencies have been issued clear directives to locate, rescue, and safely return the students, and to ensure that the perpetrators face justice. The federal government will not relent until this objective is achieved.

“We assure Nigerians that strengthening internal security remains a top priority. The federal government is recalibrating the nation’s military, policing, and intelligence capabilities to more effectively prevent these attacks and respond with greater speed and precision whenever threats arise.

“Nigeria is also reinforcing cooperation with regional partners through ECOWAS, the African Union, and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to secure our borders and disrupt terrorist and criminal networks.”

The federal government also urged the public to remain calm and confident.

Governor Nasir Idris also assured parents of the students  that his government would work with the security agents to bring the girls back home safely.

The governor who visited Maga in Danko Wasagu LGA, yesterday, while interacting with the parents assured that government and security agencies in the state will rescue the girls from their abductors.

He said “We are in Maga to see things for ourselves following the unfortunate incident.

“We have interacted with the parents of the girls and  we have given them our words and confidence that we will do everything humanly possible to ensure their children are rescuered,” he said.

He added that joint rescue operation by federal  authorities and the state government will bring the girls back home safely.

While sympathizing with the parents and the people of Zuru Emirate over the incident, he said he has met with stakeholders in the area to seek their advice on how to prevent such incident from happening again in future.

 

Over 155 schoolgirls abducted in 2 years

Nigeria, especially the northern part of the country has witnessed a resurgence of attacks on girls’ schools in the past two years, with at least 155 female students abducted and one staff member killed in major incidents across the North West.

Between October 2023 and November 2025, at least 155 schoolgirls were abducted in Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kebbi states, with one staff member killed.

The most recent is the incident at Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where dozens were abducted.

Earlier in March 2024, armed gangs abducted over 130 school students from Kuriga in Kaduna State, many of them, girls. The students were held for more than two weeks before security forces secured their release.

In Zamfara State in March 2024, bandits carried out mass abductions in Tsafe Local Government Area, targeting schools and communities. While exact figures remain unclear, a number of students including dozens of girls were reported among those taken.

Pundits say the attacks highlight the continuing vulnerability of schools in the North West region, where armed groups continue to launch attacks on communities and villages.

 

Similar incidents

Recall that on February 19, 2018, Boko Haram insurgents stormed the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, abducting 110 schoolgirls. The attack, which took place after security forces reportedly withdrew from the town, left five girls dead during the abduction.  However, on March 21, 2018, Boko Haram released 104 of the girls along with two other children, but one student, Leah Sharibu, was held back.

The Dapchi incident came four years after the infamous Chibok abduction of April 2014, when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls’ Secondary School in Borno State. Dozens remain in captivity to this day.

Since the Chibok incident, rights groups estimate that over 1,500 students have been kidnapped across northern Nigeria.

 

Safe schools initiative

The attacks on schools put to question the Safe School Initiative, which was launched in May 2014 in response to increasing attacks on schools, especially from Boko Haram insurgency and its effectiveness.  The goal of the initiative was to protect education by making schools safer and more resilient to violence and insecurity.

The initiative was launched by the government under former President Goodluck Jonathan, the United Nations, and Nigerian business leaders.

Key aspects of the Nigeria Safe School Initiative include protecting students, teachers, and educational institutions from attacks and social vices; rehabilitating security infrastructure in schools; establishing community-oriented security measures; transferring students from high-risk areas to safe schools; providing trauma counselling and support and offering education to internally displaced persons.

The federal government also established the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC) under the NSCDC (Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps).

The Centre coordinates security strategies for schools, host communities, and also works on awareness, prevention, and response.

The NSCDC said recently that it was targeting the registration of over 50,000 primary and secondary schools under the Safe School Project by June 2025.

Since the launch, millions of dollars have been sent on the initiative, Daily Trust gathered.  Despite that, attacks on schools persist with analysts calling for its review.

 

 

Ezekwesili condemns attack

Weighing in on the matter, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, said the attack was unfortunate and called on the Nigerian government to act immediately to secure their release.

In a post on her social media handle, Ezekwesili described the incident as “deeply heart‑wrenching,” noting that the “attack reflects the persistent failure of authorities to protect schools from armed groups.

“Twenty five girls were abducted by gunmen who also killed a security guard and vice principal of the school at a time that any such vulnerability ought not to exist if not for the persistent enabling of impunity – of zero consequences – to terrorists.

“The lessons of the failure of @NigeriaGov @NGRPresident to swiftly mount effective Search & Rescue Operations for ChibokGirls (2014) and DapchGirls (2018) through the security establishments are evident to guide this administration.

“Those schoolgirls have no reason to spend one day in the enclave of terrorists.

“Rescue them immediately to continue with their education in Safe Schools that the State and Federal Governments have a duty to provide.”

Ezekwesili, who was a leading voice during the global campaign to rescue the Chibok girls, said the Kebbi incident underscores the urgent need for authorities to prioritise the safety of schools and ensure accountability for repeated failures.

On his part, Professor Oladele Akogun, senior researcher and regional research director at Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis (ERICC), has warned that repeated attacks on schools are creating a generation of children fearful of education.

Speaking in a chat with our correspondent last night, Akogun lamented that children are increasingly treated as commodities by criminal groups.

“Children should enjoy their childhood. They should not become currency just because the economy is bad. Because it’s like currency. You steal a child, you say, pay me, I’ll return your child to you. That’s what it has become,” he said.

He explained that the psychological scars of abduction go beyond the immediate trauma, leaving lasting effects on children’s perception of schooling.

 

“And that kind of child that has suffered; besides the implication on education, that child, when you think the child will recover, that thing will be in the brain for a long time to come. First, there will be a phobia for education, there will be a phobia for school. So we are creating school-scared children,” Akogun noted.

The ERICC researcher argued that the vulnerability of large, isolated school structures make them easy targets for attackers, suggesting that Nigeria must rethink how schools are designed and delivered.

“I think I’m one of those who are advocating for a situation where we should redefine the school facility. Let me ask, in an angwa, why should the primary one child, who is probably five years old; Why does that child need to leave that area and go somewhere?”.

Akogun proposed community‑based learning models where children are taught within smaller, home‑like structures embedded in their neighbourhoods, reducing exposure to mass abductions.

He added that as children grow older, they could gradually transition to larger learning centres linked to local government oversight, but not the massive, isolated schools that have become vulnerable to attacks.

“The entire structure needs to change,” Akogun added.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also condemned the attack.  Atiku, in a post on his social media platforms said he is “devastated by the news of the tragic attack”.

He said the attack is yet another reminder of the “worsening insecurity in our nation,” adding that Nigeria cannot continue on this path.

 

He equally condemned the killing of an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Umar Moriki and the abductions in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara, where he said, “an entire family including women and children were taken by bandits. These acts of barbarity have no place in a civilized society.”

Atiku added, “Similar tragedies continue to unfold in Plateau, Benue, and other states, where communities are being torn apart by violence. In Shanono LGA of Kano, residents are fleeing their homes in fear, highlighting a national security challenge that has reached intolerable levels.

“Nigeria cannot continue on this path. I call on the federal government to urgently review and strengthen its security architecture, deploy adequate personnel across vulnerable communities, and intensify intelligence-led operations.

“Our citizens deserve protection, dignity, and peace, nothing less”, he said.

Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the attack. Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, in a statement on Monday, said “this tragic incident further highlights the alarming rise in insecurity that has become the lived reality of majority of Nigerians under the President Bola Tinubu-led APC administration.”

“When a government fails in its primary duty of safeguarding lives and property, it must accept responsibility and deal decisively with the issues, rather than act aloof or attempt to deflect from the core issues, as this administration has repeatedly done.

“We commiserate with the parents of the abducted students, the family of the slain Vice Principal, as well as the staff, students, and management of the affected school and the government of Kebbi State.”

The party noted that apart from this incident, other abductions have taken place in Nasarawa, Plateau, Kano and Katsina in recent times.

“We, therefore, call on President Tinubu to devote urgent and sufficient attention to securing the lives and property of Nigerians so that this tragic cycle can finally come to an end. Or do we want a foreign country to threaten the government on this? Let the killings stop,” the party said.