Nigeria's newly appointed Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu, has issued a stern directive to military forces to conduct round-the-clock operations until 25 schoolgirls abducted from a secondary school in Kebbi State are rescued.
Deadly Overnight Raid on School
The early Monday morning attack targeted the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, where armed bandits scaled the school fence and seized the students after killing the institution's vice-principal. The raid occurred around 3:30 am local time (0230 GMT), marking the latest in a disturbing pattern of school abductions in northern Nigeria.
Amina Hassan, wife of the murdered vice-principal Hassan Makuku, provided harrowing details of the attack to Nigerian television. "We started struggling with them and one of them pulled out his gun and shot my husband," she recounted. "Then he dragged me by my hand outside the house and I told them to leave me alone, that I would not go with them since they have killed the father of my children."
Kebbi's Security Crisis Deepens
Kebbi State finds itself trapped between multiple security threats, including jihadist infiltration from neighboring Niger and the rampant activities of criminal gangs locally known as "bandits." These armed groups regularly terrorize communities across northern Nigeria, engaging in village looting, kidnapping for ransom, and deadly attacks on residents.
Many of these criminals operate from bases in the Zamfara forest near Maga, taking advantage of the dense vegetation and difficult terrain to evade security forces. The region's vulnerability has made educational institutions soft targets for abduction campaigns.
History of School Abductions Continues
Monday's incident represents the second mass school abduction in Kebbi within four years. In June 2021, bandits kidnapped more than 100 students and staff members from a government college in the state. Those victims were released in batches over two years after families raised substantial ransom payments, with some female students returning with babies after being forced into marriages with their captors.
The latest abduction revives painful memories of the 2014 Chibok tragedy, where Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from northeast Nigeria, sparking global outrage and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris visited Maga late Monday and assured residents that authorities were doing everything possible to secure the girls' release. "We give them our words that we do everything possible to ensure that their children are being rescued," the governor told broadcasters.
Major General Shaibu, recently promoted to lead Nigeria's army, personally addressed troops deployed to Kebbi, emphasizing the urgency of the mission. "You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children," he commanded, urging soldiers to "leave no stone unturned" in their search operations.
