Teacher Killed and 25 Female Students Kidnapped in Gunbattle at Nigerian School
Weapon-carrying attackers have killed a teacher and seized a minimum of 25 learners in an raid targeting a female high school in north-western Nigeria, according to police.
The gang of attackers breached the public educational institution for female students in Kebbi State's Maga area at approximately 04:00 local time on Monday, officials stated.
The attackers "engaged police personnel on duty in a shootout" before climbing over the boundary wall and seizing the students from their hostel, authorities disclosed.
An educational worker was fatally shot while defending the students. Another staff member suffered bullet injuries and is now receiving treatment.
Eyewitnesses described a large group of attackers, identified in the area as outlaw groups, who came shooting randomly to create fear.
Community members informed journalists that the gunmen subsequently marched a contingent of young women into adjacent wilderness.
The police said they had deployed "extra specialized police forces, alongside military personnel and community security teams" to the area.
A coordinated search and rescue operation is underway in surrounding forests and suspected escape routes.
In the past few years, educational institutions in Nigeria's north have become frequent targets for militant organizations, who frequently execute kidnappings to request monetary settlements or leverage deals with the government.
The incident in Kebbi State underscores the continuing safety emergency plaguing the region, causing relatives in Maga in a state of fearful exhaustion as they expect and desire their daughters' safe return.
Security crisis in the northern regions of Nigeria has escalated dramatically in the last several months, with schools suffering the most of the violence.
Key Points
- Weapon-carrying assailants attacked a school for young women in Nigeria's northwest
- One teacher was killed while defending pupils
- A minimum of 25 young women were kidnapped from their dormitory
- Law enforcement have begun a saving effort in nearby regions
- School attacks have become increasingly common in the northern part of the country
