THE Kebbi State Police Command has confirmed the early-morning attack on Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, where armed men abducted several students and reportedly killed the school vice principal.
Police spokesperson in the state, Nafi’u Abubakar, said the attackers scaled the school fence and opened fire before whisking away 25 students from their hostel, according to Daily Trust.
“The police tactical units deployed in the school engaged them into a gun duel but the suspected bandits had already abducted them in their hostel,” he said.
The development followed earlier confirmation by the Chairman of Danko Wasagu LGA, Hussaini Bena, who told The ICIR that the attack occurred around 4 a.m.
He said gunmen stormed the school while shooting sporadically and abducted an as-yet-unconfirmed number of students.
Bena noted that he was on his way to the school and could not immediately verify the casualties. The attack adds to Kebbi State’s troubling history of school abductions.
In June 2021, gunmen invaded the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, abducting dozens of students and teachers in one of the state’s high-profile school kidnappings. While some were released over time, others remained in captivity for years.
The persistent attacks across northern Nigeria have forced several states to shut down schools temporarily, with humanitarian organisations warning that the trend continues to threaten children’s access to safe learning environments.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M