A young female student who was taken along with 24 others from a boarding school in northwestern Nigeria has managed to flee and is now in a safe condition, as confirmed by the school’s principal to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Hunters have joined security forces in combing the nearby forests in search of the remaining missing students after the girls were abducted in the early hours of Monday from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Kebbi state.
According to local authorities, the attackers breached the school’s perimeter by climbing over the fence and engaged in a gun battle with the police before abducting the girls and fatally shooting a staff member. While no specific group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, experts and locals suggest that criminal gangs often target educational institutions, travelers, and rural communities for ransom kidnappings. These groups, predominantly comprised of former herders, have resorted to violence against farming communities following disputes over scarce resources.
The prevalence of mass abductions in schools is a recurring issue in northern Nigeria, particularly in areas like Kebbi, known for their proximity to regions plagued by conflict, such as Zamfara and Sokoto states. One student managed to escape the armed assailants during the initial raid, while the schoolgirl who fled arrived safely at her home late Monday, post the abduction incident.
Efforts to locate and rescue the missing students have been escalated by security personnel and local hunters, with searches conducted in the surrounding forests where criminal gangs often seek refuge. Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi state visited the school to reassure the community of active measures being taken to secure the release of the abducted girls. Additionally, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, instructed soldiers to conduct intelligence-driven operations and maintain a continuous pursuit of the abductors following the attack.
Residents of Maga voiced their frustration and anguish as the dormitory and classroom blocks remained deserted on Tuesday morning. Witnesses recounted the chaos and violence of the predawn attack, with one resident, Abdulkarim Abdullahi, recalling hearing gunfire and motorcycles entering the school premises. Amina Hassan, the wife of the school’s vice-principal who was killed during the raid, described the harrowing encounter with the armed intruders.
The incident underscores a broader trend of abductions being utilized as a tactic to draw attention in the region, with over 1,500 students reportedly kidnapped since the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents over a decade ago. Apart from extremist groups, criminal elements have also contributed to the insecurity, targeting schools as a means to attract public notice. The prevailing insecurity is attributed to the failure to prosecute known perpetrators, coupled with pervasive corruption that hampers law enforcement efforts while enabling criminal groups to thrive.
Security analysts and residents emphasize the strategic nature of kidnappings, particularly involving schoolchildren, as a means to garner widespread attention and exert pressure on authorities to address the escalating security challenges.
