By Ayomide Otitoju
Bandits have abducted 25 students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. The attack occurred on Sunday night, during which the assailants killed the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku.
Sources said the gunmen stormed the school and operated unchallenged, taking several schoolgirls after fatally shooting the vice principal, who was reportedly attempting to shield students from harm. The incident has thrown the community into mourning, with residents offering prayers for the slain educationist and his family.
Confirming the attack, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, said 25 students were abducted. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ahmed Idris, stated that Deputy Governor Umar Tafida had been dispatched to the school to assess the situation on behalf of Governor Nasir Idris, who is currently out of the state.
“The deputy governor is on his way to know the exact situation,” Idris said, adding that the governor is expected to return shortly.
Parents and residents are anxiously awaiting updates as security agencies intensify efforts to rescue the abducted students.
The incident adds to a troubling pattern of school kidnappings in northern Nigeria. In February 2021, 317 girls were taken from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State. That same month, gunmen abducted students, teachers, and family members from Government Science College, Kagara, in Niger State.
Earlier, in December 2020, 303 students were kidnapped from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, in Katsina State. In 2018, 110 students were abducted from the Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi. The 2014 abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok by Boko Haram remains one of the most notorious school kidnapping incidents in the country.
The Kebbi State government has yet to release further details, but authorities say efforts are underway to track down the attackers and secure the safe return of the abducted students.
