New mass abduction of schoolgirls in northern Nigeria
The attack represents “a major blow to the education of young girls, which is already quite rare in these parts of the country”, say local sources.
The abduction of around 25 students from the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, in Nigeria’s north-western state of Kebbi, has plunged the community into deep shock.
A local source consulted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) explained that the attack caught residents off guard, at a moment when violence in the area had seemed to ease.
“Just when we thought there was a bit of a lull in the killings and abductions, the news of the abduction of around twenty-five girls – we’re not sure of the exact numbers yet – has come as a rude shock, throwing the community into grief.”
The same source reported that “the bandits stormed the school at about 3 a.m. and operated for many hours without any resistance.”
“The vice principal of the School, Mallam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed as he tried helplessly to protect his students”, the source added.
The community is overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty and is calling for immediate government action: “All families in the area are united in prayers and appealing to the government to do everything possible to rescue the children.”
The source also explained that the district of Danko/Wasagu, where the school is situated, is one of the most religiously diverse enclaves in Kebbi. Several communities in the area are predominantly Christian, making it a rare Christian-majority zone within the Muslim-dominated northwest. For this reason, many of the abducted pupils are Christians, as was the murdered vice principal.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the source warned of the growing professionalisation of criminal gangs operating in the northwest. Early testimonies indicate that the attackers carried technically advanced, modern weaponry — a sign of the increasing sophistication of organised crime in the region.
A remote and poorly protected area
Maga is a hard to reach, complicating the response of security forces. “The community is in a remote area between Sokoto and Kontagora Diocese”, the source explained.
Kebbi has previously seen attacks on educational institutions, a pattern repeated across northern states and that has created a prolonged climate of insecurity. The source consulted by ACN lamented that the attack represents “a major blow to the education of young girls, which is already quite rare in these parts of the country.”
The incident recalls the traumatic mass kidnappings of Chibok in 2014 and Dapchi in 2018, tragedies whose effects still weigh heavily on the national consciousness, and have become emblematic of Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.
