Instructor Fatally Shot and 25 Female Students Kidnapped in Gunbattle at School in Nigeria
Weapon-carrying attackers have killed a teacher and seized a minimum of 25 learners in an assault against a educational institution for young women in Nigeria's northwestern region, authorities have confirmed.
The armed faction invaded the public educational institution for female students in Maga, Kebbi State at around 4 AM local time on the beginning of the work week, authorities reported.
The armed individuals "engaged police personnel on duty in a gun duel" before climbing over the boundary wall and taking the pupils captive from their hostel, authorities disclosed.
An educational worker was killed while trying to protect the students. An additional employee received firearm injuries and is now undergoing medical care.
Witnesses reported a large group of attackers, referred to locally as criminal elements, who arrived firing sporadically to create fear.
Local residents told reporters that the attackers afterwards forced a number of girls into surrounding rural areas.
The police said they had deployed "extra specialized police forces, in coordination with armed forces and local protection units" to the area.
A coordinated search and rescue operation is underway in surrounding forests and suspected escape routes.
In the past few years, schools in northern Nigeria have increasingly been targeted for militant organizations, who often carry out abductions to request monetary settlements or leverage deals with the government.
The incident in Kebbi State highlights the persistent security crisis plaguing the region, leaving families in Maga in a condition of terrified weariness as they anticipate and pray for their daughters' safe return.
Safety emergency in northern Nigeria has escalated dramatically in the last several months, with schools bearing the brunt of the conflict.
Important Details
- Armed attackers attacked a school for young women in Nigeria's northwest
- An educator lost their life while defending pupils
- A minimum of 25 young women were abducted from their hostel
- Law enforcement have begun a saving effort in nearby regions
- School attacks have escalated in regularity in Nigeria's northern regions
