Kebbi Abduction: One Schoolgirl Escapes Bandits’ Grip

Hope returned to parts of Kebbi State on Tuesday after one of the 25 schoolgirls abducted by armed men from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, escaped from captivity and found her way home.

The school had come under a brutal attack in the early hours of Monday when gunmen stormed the hostels around 4 a.m., shooting and killed the vice principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, before forcing the girls into the forest. The mass abduction triggered widespread outrage and urgent calls for action.

School principal, Musa Rabi Magaji, confirmed that the escaped student trekked through the bush for several hours before reuniting with her family. Another girl, who fled during the chaos of the attack, also returned safely. One of the girls who escaped was said to have sustained a leg injury but is receiving medical care.

Security forces have since intensified efforts to rescue the remaining 24 students. Troops, police tactical units, and local vigilantes are combing forests believed to be used as hideouts by armed groups. Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has ordered an “unrelenting, intelligence-driven pursuit” of the abductors.

Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, visited the school and condemned the attack as “barbaric.” He assured that the state Government was working closely with security Agencies to ensure the safe return of the missing girls. At the National level, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had issued a directive for the immediate rescue of the students.

The attack has once again highlighted the vulnerability of schools in Northern Nigeria to organised banditry. Families of the abducted students remain at the school premises, anxiously awaiting updates as rescue efforts intensify.

Authorities believe the successful escape has provided useful intelligence and may boost chances of recovering more of the abducted children.