In a harrowing attack at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu LGA, Kebbi State, armed bandits killed the vice-principal, Hassan Makuku, and abducted 25 female students on the morning of November 17, 2025. The violent raid, which saw attackers operate with alarming precision, has reignited concerns over school security and the escalating insecurity crisis in northern Nigeria.

According to eyewitness accounts, Amina Hassan, the wife of the slain vice-principal, woke around 3:30 AM to unusual sounds before armed men stormed the school premises. Mr. Makuku was shot dead while trying to protect the students. Two of the abducted girls have reportedly escaped, though one sustained a leg injury while fleeing through farmlands. Tragically, Ali Shehu, a security guard who sustained gunshot wounds during the attack, later died in hospital.

Security agencies responded with urgency. Major General Waidi Shaibu, newly appointed Chief of Army Staff, directed troops to pursue the bandits relentlessly. Kebbi State Police Commissioner Bello Muhammad Sani confirmed the deployment of additional tactical units, military personnel, and vigilance groups to comb escape routes and forests for the abducted students.

National leaders condemned the attack. President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate rescue of the abducted students, while First Lady Oluremi Tinubu decried the assault as an attack on safety and learning. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attributed the rising insecurity to the Tinubu-led APC administration, urging swift and decisive action. Even Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State postponed a political defection, expressing solidarity with the victims’ families.

International bodies, including UNICEF, called for the unconditional release of the schoolgirls and emphasized Nigeria’s obligations under the Safe Schools Declaration. UNICEF urged robust child protection measures to prevent future attacks.

The Senate responded with an urgent session, demanding the recruitment of 100,000 additional military personnel and establishing an ad hoc committee to investigate alleged mismanagement of funds for the Safe Schools Programme, reportedly exceeding $30 million since 2014. Lawmakers highlighted chronic manpower shortages in the military and stressed community intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination.

This abduction is part of a decade-long pattern of mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria, including the notorious Chibok (2014), Dapchi (2018), Kankara (2020), and other raids in Emure, Kuriga, Gada, and Kebbi (2021). Reports indicate that over 1,000 students have been kidnapped between 2014 and November 2025.

The incident has also drawn international political attention. Republican Riley Moore of the US House of Representatives mischaracterized the attack as targeting a "Christian enclave," despite authorities confirming that the victims were all Muslim. The Nigerian government, through Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, emphasized that insecurity affects all communities and warned against giving the crisis a religious coloration.

As search-and-rescue operations continue, security analysts and civil society leaders stress that combating such attacks requires a holistic approach, including accountability, expanded manpower, technological upgrades, robust school safety initiatives, and addressing root causes like poverty, unemployment, and limited education access. Without these measures, the tragic cycle of school attacks threatens Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens and the future of its education system.