In the latest kidnapping to hit northern Nigeria, gunmen attacked a boarding high school before dawn on Monday, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing at least one staff member, police said.The attack took place around 4 am at a school in Maga, in Kebbi state’s Danko-Wasagu area, Police spokesperson Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi said. He added that the armed assailants, carrying “sophisticated weapons,” exchanged fire with guards before seizing the girls from their dormitories.Police said one person was killed and another injured in the raid. However, a resident, Abdulkarim Abdullahi Maga, whose daughter and granddaughter were among those taken, said he believes two people were killed.He said the attackers arrived on several motorcycles and first targeted a teacher’s residence before killing the guard, news agency AP reported.A combined security team is currently conducting a search-and-rescue operation in surrounding forests and suspected escape routes to locate the abducted students and arrest the perpetrators.No group has claimed responsibility so far and the motive remains unclear.Nigeria continues to struggle with widespread insecurity driven by loosely organised armed groups known as bandits. These groups are not linked to Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa Province, whose attacks are ideologically motivated. Instead, the bandits often target schools and villages for ransom, exploiting limited security presence in many rural communities.The abduction comes a decade after Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state in 2014, an attack that marked the beginning of a surge in school kidnappings in the region. Since then, at least 1,500 students have been abducted as armed groups turn kidnappings into a lucrative criminal enterprise.While such raids have declined in recent years due to security measures, including temporary school closures, Monday’s attack highlights the persistent threat. In March 2024, more than 130 schoolchildren were rescued after over two weeks in captivity in Kaduna state.
