BIRNIN KEBBI, Nigeria — Gunmen abducted 25 students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, located in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, during an early morning attack on Monday, November 17, 2025, authorities have confirmed.
In a statement, Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, spokesperson for the Kebbi State Police Command, said the armed assailants stormed the boarding school at around 4:00am, wielding “sophisticated weapons” and engaging police personnel on duty in a gun battle.
During the attack, Hassan Makuku, the school’s vice principal, was killed, while a security guard, Ali Shehu, sustained gunshot injuries to his right hand.
The gunmen subsequently fled with the abducted students, heading towards neighbouring Zamfara State, according to a teacher at the school.
Bello Muhammad Sani, the commissioner of police in Kebbi State, said additional tactical police units, supported by military personnel and local vigilance groups, have been deployed to the area.
“The combined team is currently combing suspected escape routes and surrounding forests in a coordinated search and rescue operation aimed at recovering the abducted students and arresting the perpetrators,” the police statement said.
Sani urged residents to remain calm and vigilant, assuring communities of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.
The abduction marks the latest in a series of school kidnappings in northern Nigeria, where criminal gangs — often referred to locally as bandits — have repeatedly targeted educational institutions.
