In a devastating pre-dawn assault on Monday, armed criminals attacked a girls' secondary school in Kebbi State, resulting in the death of the vice principal and the abduction of twenty-five students.
The Early Morning Raid
According to police reports, the attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School began around 4:00 am. The gunmen, described as a criminal gang carrying sophisticated weapons, scaled the school fence after shooting sporadically to create panic.
Police were swiftly deployed to the scene, but the assailants had already breached the premises. A official statement confirmed that the bandits abducted twenty-five students from their hostel and fled to an unknown destination.
Casualties and Immediate Aftermath
The violent incident resulted in the tragic death of the school's deputy head, who was shot by the attackers. A security guard was also injured during the raid, as detailed in a report prepared for the United Nations.
In response, a combined team of the military, police tactical units, and local vigilantes has been mobilized. These forces are currently combing the bandits' routes and nearby forests in a determined effort to rescue the abducted girls and apprehend the perpetrators.
A Deepening National Crisis
This attack is a grim reminder of the persistent security challenges plaguing Nigeria's northwest region. For years, heavily armed criminal gangs, locally known as bandits, have terrorized communities through cattle rustling, village raids, kidnappings, and killings.
The kidnapping of schoolchildren has become a particularly alarming trend. The incident evokes memories of the 2014 Chibok abduction, where 276 schoolgirls were taken, nearly 100 of whom remain missing. More recently, in March of the previous year, over 130 schoolchildren were kidnapped in Kuriga, Kaduna State, though they were later released.
Data from the charity Save the Children indicates that from early 2014 to the end of 2022, more than 1,680 pupils were kidnapped from Nigerian schools. Hostage-taking has spiraled into a nationwide industry, with authorities in the northwest struggling to contain the crisis despite attempts at negotiation and peace deals.
