Key Points

• Bandits attack a girls’ school in Kebbi and abduct twenty five students.
• Tinubu orders security agencies to rescue the abducted girls.
• Kebbi officials and community members condemn the attack and call for stronger security.

Bandits kidnapped twenty five students of Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, during an early morning attack that also claimed the life of the principal.

Witnesses said the gunmen entered the school around five in the morning and met no resistance.

They shot the vice principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, as he tried to shield the girls.

Residents said the attackers moved through the compound and took several students from their hostel.

Maga, a community in the Danko Wasagu area, has faced repeated attacks in recent months.

Residents reported that more bodies were later found in the school, though they were not yet identified.

One resident, Sulaiman Abdullahi, said the bandits arrived in large numbers and began firing before gaining access to the school.

Air force jets flew over the area around eight in the morning, and security teams later cordoned off the community.

Community members have offered prayers for Makuku, describing his death as a painful loss.

Police confirm invasion

The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the attack. He said the gunmen scaled the school fence and fired several shots before taking the students.

Police tactical units engaged them, but the bandits had already moved the girls from the hostel.

Parents and residents are still waiting for clear updates on the fate of the abducted girls.

The Kebbi State government described the attack as barbaric. The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Nasir Idris said the government received the news with deep shock.

He urged residents to stay calm, noting that security agencies were working to rescue the students.

Governor Idris visited the school along with the speaker of the state assembly and the Emir of Zuru. The deputy governor, Senator Abubakar Umar, had arrived earlier for an on the spot assessment.

Tinubu orders immediate rescue

President Bola Tinubu also condemned the attack and directed security agencies to rescue the abducted girls without delay.

The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said the president reaffirmed that the safety of schoolchildren remains a key duty of the state.

He said the president issued firm orders to security and intelligence agencies to locate and recover the students and bring the attackers to justice.

The minister added that the federal government is strengthening security operations and working with regional bodies to curb cross border violence.

Atiku calls for security overhaul

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the killing of the vice principal and the abduction of the students. He described the attack as another sign of deepening insecurity across the country.

Atiku also referred to the killing of APC chieftain Umar Moriki and mass abductions in Tsafe in Zamfara State.

He linked the incidents to similar violence in Plateau, Benue and other states where communities live in fear.

He said the situation in parts of Kano State, where residents are fleeing from attacks, shows that the crisis has reached intolerable levels.

He urged the federal government to strengthen security operations and protect vulnerable communities.

Nasarawa hit by fresh abductions

In a separate incident, armed men abducted a community leader, Alhaji Musa Usman, father of the former chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board.

He was taken from his home in Daddere in Obi Local Government Area after gunmen fired several shots.

Residents said the attackers moved through the area without fear and were ready to shoot anyone who blocked their path.

Several Nasarawa communities have come under fresh attacks in the past week, leaving more than seven people dead and several others kidnapped.

Some farmers said they are now afraid to visit their farms and fear losing their crops. They urged the government to act fast to stop the resurgence of violence.