By Charles Pemu 
Bandits launched a devastating attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in the early hours of yesterday, kidnapping 25 female students and killing the school’s Vice Principal in the process.
Sources confirmed that the attackers fatally shot the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, who was reportedly attempting to shield the students during the invasion of the school, located in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The attack occurred around 5:00 am, with witnesses stating the bandits operated without resistance, scaling the school’s fence and shooting sporadically before whisking the students away from their hostel.
A resident, Aliyu Yakubu, confirmed the tragic sacrifice: “He was shot as he tried to protect his students from being taken by the bandits. It’s a great loss for the community and the school.”
Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the invasion, stating the bandits were armed with sophisticated weapons. He added that police tactical units deployed to the school engaged the bandits in a gun duel, but the attackers had already abducted the students.
Air Force jets were reportedly seen hovering over the area around 8:00 am, after the attack had concluded, and security personnel subsequently cordoned off the school premises.
Tinubu Orders Immediate Rescue, Kebbi Govt Reacts
President Bola Tinubu has strongly condemned the “reprehensible attack” and ordered security agencies to immediately locate and safely rescue the 25 abducted students. In a statement delivered by Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, the President reaffirmed that protecting schoolchildren remains a “solemn responsibility of the state” and charged security and intelligence agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Kebbi State government, through Chief Press Secretary Ahmed Idris, described the abduction as “condemnable and barbaric,” expressing sympathy to the victims’ families and urging residents to remain calm while security agencies work for the safe return of the girls. Governor Nasir Idris, accompanied by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and the Emir of Zuru, visited the scene of the incident.
Widespread Insecurity Concerns
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the deadly attack, calling it “yet another reminder of the worsening insecurity in our nation.” He urged the Federal Government to urgently review and strengthen the nation’s security architecture and deploy more personnel to vulnerable areas.
In a related development elsewhere, armed men suspected to be bandits abducted community leader Alhaji Musa Usman, father of the immediate former chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), at his residence in Daddere, Nasarawa State, throwing several communities into renewed panic.