Armed men have killed a teacher and kidnapped at least 25 students during an attack on a girls’ secondary school in northwestern Nigeria around 4:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. GMT) on Monday, according to police.
The assailants targeted the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. Police said the gunmen exchanged fire with officers stationed at the school before climbing over the perimeter fence and taking the students from their hostel.
One staff member lost their life while trying to defend the students, and another sustained gunshot injuries and is currently receiving medical treatment. Eyewitnesses reported that a large group of attackers, locally referred to as bandits, arrived firing sporadically to create chaos.
Residents told the BBC that the gunmen then forced several girls into nearby bushland.
Police said they had sent in additional tactical units, along with military personnel and local vigilante groups, to respond to the incident. A coordinated search and rescue operation is currently ongoing in surrounding forests and along likely escape routes.
Over the past ten years, schools in northern Nigeria have frequently been targeted by armed groups, who often abduct students to demand ransom or negotiate with the government.
This is the first significant school abduction since March 2024, when more than 200 students were taken from a school in Kuriga, Kaduna State. The Kebbi State attack underscores the ongoing security crisis in the region, leaving families in Maga gripped by fear and anxiety as they await the safe return of their daughters.
In an effort to reduce such kidnappings, Nigeria has banned ransom payments, aiming to make abductions less profitable.
