Gunmen have attacked the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, abducting 25 students and killing two school officials in the early hours of Monday, November 17, 2025.

The attackers, described by police as “armed with sophisticated weapons,” stormed the school around 4:00 a.m. and engaged security personnel on duty in a shootout. In the ensuing chaos, the school’s vice principal, Hassan Makuku, was killed, while a security guard, Ali Shehu, sustained a gunshot wound to his right hand.

Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the Kebbi State Police Command, Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, said the assailants fled toward neighbouring Zamfara State with the abducted schoolgirls. He added that the police had immediately mobilised reinforcements, including tactical units, military personnel, and local vigilance groups, to track the attackers.

He urged residents to remain calm, assuring them of the command’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property.

Residents said the assailants scaled the school’s fence undetected, taking advantage of the absence of perimeter lighting and limited night patrols.

“They knew the terrain, they knew when to strike,” one community source told PREMIUM TIMES. “There was no power, no local watch, and only a few guards.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has vowed a rapid and decisive response to secure the release of the abducted students. In a statement, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, described the attack as “reprehensible,” particularly the killing of school officials who were “carrying out their noble duty.”

He revealed that President Bola Tinubu has directed security and intelligence agencies to locate, rescue, and safely return the students, and to ensure that the perpetrators face justice.

“The Federal Government will not relent until this objective is achieved,” Idris added.

The abduction adds to a troubling history of school kidnappings in Northern Nigeria, where criminal gangs and terrorist groups continue to target educational institutions. Kebbi State experienced a similar tragedy in June 2021, when bandits abducted 11 students of the Federal Government College, Yauri.

The latest incident also rekindles painful memories of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State, which drew global outrage and became a symbol of Nigeria’s struggle to protect students from violent extremism. Many of the 276 Chibok girls remain unaccounted for more than a decade later.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest abduction in Kebbi. It comes only a few weeks after United States (US) President, Donald Trump, threatened to invade Nigeria and attack terror groups over alleged persecution of Christians.