The community of Maga in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State has been plunged into deep mourning after a violent attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School left the Vice Principal, Hassan Makuku, dead and 25 female students abducted.
The assault, which took place around 3 a.m. on Monday, has triggered widespread fear and anguish as families and residents grapple with the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the kidnapped girls.
Security agencies, including the police and military, have since launched a coordinated search-and-rescue mission to track down the gunmen and recover the students.
When reporters visited the school on Tuesday, distraught parents and witnesses described a night of terror that lasted for more than an hour, with bandits reportedly operating unhindered before escaping into the nearby forest.
The attack has revived painful memories of previous mass abductions in northern Nigeria, including the 2014 kidnapping of over 200 Chibok schoolgirls and the 2021 abduction of 80 students and five teachers from Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri.
At the school’s hostel, matron Hajia Maryam Bello—who has served in the institution for nearly 20 years—recounted how the ordeal began. She said the first sign of danger came when a student woke up crying shortly after 3 a.m. Looking out her window, she saw several armed men surrounding the compound.
“One of them started calling me, shouting ‘Mama, Mama, I beg you in the name of God, open the door,’” she said. “When I saw how many they were, I pretended to fetch the key but locked myself in my room instead.”
According to her, the attackers tried repeatedly to break down her door using a machete but eventually gave up and moved toward the girls’ dormitory, where they seized several students.
“I have worked here since the creation of this school and I have never seen anything like this,” she said, fighting back tears.
Parents arriving at the school shortly after the incident were confronted with scenes of chaos. One of them, Abubakar, said he found his younger daughter outside the hostel, shaken and crying, while fearing for the safety of her abducted schoolmates.
As rescue efforts intensify, the Kebbi community waits anxiously for news, hoping the girls will be returned safely and that the cycle of school attacks will come to an end.
