By Obinna Uballa
Bandits have attacked the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing the Vice-Principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and abducting an unspecified number of female students.
The Kebbi State government has confirmed the assault, according to Arise TV, but noted that details of the incident remain sketchy at the moment.
Residents of Maga, a community under Danko/Wasagu LGA, said the attackers stormed the school early Monday morning around 5 a.m., before dawn prayers. The bandits reportedly faced no resistance as they invaded the school premises, killing Makuku while he tried to protect the students. A security guard was also injured during the attack.
Aliyu Yakubu, a local resident, described the atmosphere in the community as tense. “The attack has created panic among residents of Maga. We are now in fear and mourning,” he said.
Sources said the attackers, who arrived on motorcycles from the neighbouring Rijau forest, abducted several female students before fleeing. Locals believe the bandits have not gone far and are still within reach, calling on both the Kebbi State and Federal Governments to intervene quickly to rescue the students.
Kebbi has witnessed a troubling rise in school abductions in recent years, part of a broader pattern of insecurity in northwestern Nigeria. One of the most notorious incidents occurred on June 17, 2021, when armed attackers stormed the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri, killing a police officer and abducting at least 80 students and five teachers.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had not issued an official statement on the latest attack. CSP Nafiu Abubakar, the police public relations officer for Kebbi State, did not respond to calls seeking comment.
