NEWS & POLITICS
24 schoolgirls kidnapped in Kebbi State as gunmen attack Nigerian secondary school
An attack in Kebbi State has left Nigeria reeling after unknown gunmen abducted 24 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in the town of Maga.
Staff Writer 
MAGA, Nigeria, 17 Nov 2025 (Running Africa) - At least one staff member was killed during the assault, which unfolded in the early hours of Monday morning.
According to police, the armed group breached the school's perimeter fence under the cover of darkness and exchanged gunfire with officers stationed on campus. One student managed to escape, but the whereabouts of the remaining 24 girls remain unknown.
No group has claimed responsibility. However, authorities note that heavily armed criminal gangs, often referred to as bandits, have carried out similar kidnappings across northern Nigeria, targeting schools for ransom. Many of these gangs are believed to be former herders who armed themselves amid escalating clashes with farming communities over land and resources.
Dormitories at the Kebbi school where gunmen seized several children - Image: AP
Tinubu cancels G20 trip to focus on rescue efforts
Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has canceled his planned trip to the G20 Leaders' Summit in South Africa to focus on coordinating the response to the kidnapping.
In a statement on Tuesday, Tinubu directed the nation's security agencies to ensure the girls are rescued swiftly and safely. He condemned the attack, saying "heartless terrorists have disrupted the education of innocent schoolgirls," and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
Military launches intelligence-led operation
Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, met with troops hours after the incident and ordered an urgent, intelligence-driven operation to locate and recover the missing students.
"We must find these children. Success is not an option," he told soldiers, urging them to act "decisively and professionally on all intelligence."
Parents protest worsening security
Parents in Maga and surrounding areas have expressed frustration and fear, criticizing the government's inability to protect students from recurring school attacks.
Mass school abductions have become tragically common in northern Nigeria. Since Boko Haram kidnapped 276 Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, at least 1,500 students across Zamfara, Sokoto, and other high-risk states have been seized by insurgents or criminal groups.
As rescue operations intensify, concerns are growing about the safety of the abducted girls, while the nation once again grapples with a deepening crisis in school security.
