Schoolgirl Makes Daring Escape After Midnight Raid
A student has made a brave escape after being one of 25 girls abducted from their dormitories at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Nigeria. The armed attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday morning, also resulted in the death of the school's vice-principal.
The assailants struck at 4am local time (3am UK time) in Maga, located in Kebbi state's Danko-Wasagu area. According to police spokesperson Nafi'u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, the gunmen were armed with sophisticated weapons and exchanged fire with school guards before seizing the students.
Rescue Efforts Intensify in Northern Nigeria
Security forces have now intensified their search for the remaining 24 abducted schoolgirls. Teams are scouring suspected escape routes and surrounding forests in a bid to locate the students and their captors.
School principal Musa Rabi Magaji confirmed that the escaped student arrived home safely late on Monday, the same day as the kidnapping. He also revealed that another student, not initially counted among the abducted, also managed to flee in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
"One is part of the 25 abducted and the other one returned earlier. They are safe and sound," Mr Magaji stated. Tragically, the school's vice-principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed during the incident, and another staff member was injured.
A Disturbing Pattern of School Abductions
This incident represents the latest in a series of school abductions plaguing Nigeria's northern region, where armed groups have targeted schoolchildren for more than a decade. Authorities have noted a concerning rise in such attacks by different armed groups this year.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions. The situation echoes the 2014 Chibok school abduction, where militant group Boko Haram seized 276 students, many of whom remain missing.
While children are sometimes released by their abductors or rescued by authorities—such as the 137 hostages freed last year after more than two weeks in captivity—many often remain held by their captors for extended periods.
