Tension has gripped the Maga community in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State following a deadly pre-dawn assault on the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, where terrorists reportedly abducted 25 students and killed a staff member.
According to a statement released on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi, the armed men invaded the school around 4:00am, shooting sporadically as they forced entry into the premises. He said police operatives quickly engaged the attackers in a gun duel but the assailants were able to scale the school fence and escape with the students.
“One staff member, identified as Hassan Makuku, was shot dead while another, Ali Shehu, sustained gunshot injuries to his right hand,” Abubakar confirmed.
He added that additional tactical units, military personnel and local vigilante groups had been deployed to pursue the attackers and rescue the abducted students. Search operations are currently ongoing across suspected bandit routes and surrounding forest areas.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Bello M. Sani, assured residents of intensified security measures, urging the public to remain calm, vigilant and supportive of law enforcement efforts.
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ahmed Idris, also confirmed the incident, stating that the exact number of abducted students was still being verified. He noted that the Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Tafida, had been directed to visit the school for an on-the-spot assessment.
Anxious parents and residents of Maga continue to await updates as rescue operations progress.
This incident echoes a similar school abduction in June 2021 at the Federal Government Girls College, Birnin Yauri, also in Kebbi State.
