Survivors of Monday’s violent attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, have recounted the terrifying moments when bandits stormed the school.
During the attack, the assailants killed Vice Principal Hassan Makuku and abducted 25 female students.
The attack, which occurred around 3 a.m., plunged the community into shock as grieving parents, teachers and residents struggled to understand the fate of the kidnapped girls. Security agencies, including the police and the military, have since launched an intensive search-and-rescue operation.
They operated for over an hour
When journalists visited the school on Tuesday, traumatised parents and eyewitnesses described how the gunmen operated freely for more than an hour before escaping into the forest with the abducted students. The incident has revived painful memories of past school abductions, including the 2014 Chibok kidnapping and the 2021 Birnin Yauri attack.
Matron: “I saw many people surrounding the place
The hostel matron, Hajia Maryam Bello, who has served at the school for almost 20 years, recalled waking up to the first signs of danger when a student began crying shortly after 3:00 a.m.
“I stood up and looked through the window, and I saw many people surrounding the place,” she said.
According to her, one of the attackers called out to her in a familiar tone.
“He was shouting, ‘Mama, Mama, I beg you in the name of God, open the door.’ I refused. When I saw their number, I pretended to go and bring the key, but instead locked myself inside my room.”
She said the attackers struck her door with a machete several times but failed to break it open. They eventually abandoned the attempt and moved to the girls’ hostel, where they seized several students.
“I have never witnessed something like this,” she said, holding back tears.
I almost died on the spot
One of the parents, Abubakar, said he rushed to the school upon hearing the news while praying in the mosque. He found his younger daughter trembling outside the hostel.
“When I asked where her elder sister, Khadija, was, she said the bandits had taken her away. I almost died on the spot,” he said.
He explained that his younger daughter survived by hiding in a room with three other students. “The bandits threatened to kill them if they didn’t come out. The other three came out, but my daughter refused to leave her hiding place,” he said.
Widow of slain Vice Principal speaks
The wife of the late Vice Principal narrated how the attackers first stormed their home before heading to the hostel.
“We were sleeping around 3:30 a.m. when we heard noises… then the door broke down. They entered and killed my husband,” she said.
She said she was ordered to follow the attackers but refused. Her daughter was then forced at gunpoint to lead them to the hostel. “When they saw the girls, they abandoned my daughter and went for the students,” she added.
Another parent, Mallam Lawali, said his 12-year-old daughter, Hawau, a JSS2 student, was among those taken. “My wife has been crying since the incident. She has not eaten. We want the government to help us,” he pleaded.
Army chief orders aggressive operation
Following the attack, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, arrived in Kebbi and directed troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA to launch an intelligence-led offensive to rescue the abducted girls.
“We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional,” he told the troops.
The army chief also met local vigilantes and hunters, urging them to assist with their knowledge of the terrain, and paid condolence visits to traditional rulers and school officials.
Governor Idris: “Whatever is humanly possible will be done
Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, vowed to deploy every resource available to secure the safe return of the girls. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Abdullah Idris, the governor visited the school on Monday evening, assuring families that government efforts were underway.
“A visibly shaken Idris arrived with members of the State Executive Council and security chiefs. He met community leaders and the slain Vice Principal’s family, offering condolences,” the statement said.
The governor later convened an emergency security meeting in Zuru with service commanders and traditional rulers to review strategies ahead of the arrival of additional federal security personnel.
A combined team led by the Deputy Governor and Secretary to the State Government has since launched a massive operation across forests straddling Kebbi and Zamfara States, with both ground and aerial surveillance ongoing. Prayer sessions have also been held across the state.
Government denies withdrawing security before attack
The state government has dismissed social media claims that security operatives were withdrawn from Maga a day before the attack.
Governor Idris called the allegations “politically motivated, malicious and unpatriotic.”
“Whoever is spreading these lies is an enemy of Kebbi State,” he said, accusing political actors of exploiting the tragedy for propaganda.