Khadijat Lawal, a Senior Secondary School 3 student at the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, described the traumatic events of Monday morning, when gunmen attacked her school and abducted dozens of girls.
Khadijat spoke to DAILY GAZETTE through her father, Malam Lawal Altine, who has three children attending the school.
Narrating her experience, she said she and other students were asleep in their hostel when they heard voices outside and attempts to force open the hostel door.
“This was a few minutes to 5am,” she said.
Khadijat added, “A few minutes after that, they started shooting sporadically into the air and I and my two sisters rushed to hide in one of the school’s toilets.”
She continued, “When the bandits burst into the hostel, my two sisters panicked and came out from where they were hiding in the toilet and they were immediately marched out with other girls who had been taken from other hostels in the school.”
“I remained where I had locked myself up in the toilet until when parents and other people came to the school shouting and asking about the whereabouts of their children.”
“My daughter refused to open the door until she heard my voice. She was lucky, but her other sisters are still missing. I’m worried and sick about their whereabouts,” Mal. Altine said.
About 24 hours after the abduction, parents were still at the school, hoping for the safe return of their children.
Hajiya Rani Maga, mother of one of the abducted girls, has not left the school premises since Monday morning.
Tearfully, she said, “I will not eat until my daughter returns home. I still find it difficult to believe that my daughter had been abducted by the bandits. I don’t think I can return home without my daughter.”
“Every minute my mind is with her. I don’t know what is going on with her or where they took her and I’m afraid because she is in the hands of bad people. I know government has intervened and given us hope that our daughters will return to us; but how soon? I appeal to both the state and federal government to urge security agents to find our daughters as soon as possible. The longer they stay with captors the more dangerous the situation will be.”
Amina Hassan, wife of the school’s head of security, Yakubu Makuku, who was killed during the attack, also recounted the horror she witnessed. “
It was around 4 am on Monday and my husband and I were in bed when we heard the entrance door being forced opened. I woke my husband up but he thought it was the goats that were there.”
“But suddenly, armed men burst into our room and they asked him to take them to the girls’ hostel. He refused and they shot him. I rushed to hold him, but they pushed me aside and moved on to the hostel.”
“I don’t know how they managed to abduct the girls, but I heard them screaming and crying. It’s still a nightmare to me,” she said.
Since the attack, the community has largely remained indoors, fearful of further violence. Abubakar Dabai, a community member and relative of one of the abducted girls’ fathers, said, “Everyone is scared.”
“We can’t even go to our farms as we don’t know what will happen next. But the governor was here yesterday and he assured us of our safety. He said government would deploy more security agents to find the girls. We want to believe him. We will also continue to pray for the quick return of our girls.”
Aminu Usman Lawal, father of Hauwa, another abducted girl, said he was preparing to go to the farm when he received news of the attack.
“I just continue to wonder why this happened to me, but I know Allah will secure my girl and others. Since the incident happened, people in the community have been living in fear; everyone feels insecure. Government should help us by deploying more security agents here so that people can feel safe enough to go to their farms and engage in their daily activities.”
Fatima Ibrahim, mother of another abducted girl, added, “I just want my daughter back. I don’t care about anything else. Please, just bring her back home safely.”
The Kebbi State Government clarified that 26 students, not 25, were abducted from the school. Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Halimatu Muhammad Bande, said, “Two of them, Salmat and Hauwa escaped from them. We now have 24 of them with the bandits.”
She emphasized the clarification was necessary due to misleading media reports. Dr. Bande added that Governor Nasir Idris and the federal government have deployed security personnel to locate the girls.
“Let us continue to pray for them. We don’t know where they are and what they are doing to the girls but God will bring them back to us safely,” she said.
Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Army Staff, visited Maga to meet with the District Head of Danko, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim, and the school principal, Hajiya Rabi Musa Magaji.
He pledged to do everything possible to rescue the girls and instructed Operation FANSAN YANMA troops to intensify efforts. He stated, “We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional.”
He also urged collaboration with local vigilantes and hunters, describing them as key partners in tracking the abductors.
The Senate, concerned about the national security situation, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to recruit at least 100,000 youths into the armed forces.
Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (APC, Kebbi North) described the insecurity as “alarming” and requiring urgent action.
Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP Bauchi Central) called it an “existential threat,” while Senator Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South) warned that failure to unite against insecurity would jeopardize Nigeria’s future.
Other senators called for modern intelligence technology, better security around schools, and accountability for funds under the Safe School Programme.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole stressed that new recruits must be “adequately trained and equipped to confront bandits, terrorists, and other violent groups terrorising citizens.”
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu described the abduction as “an assault on the values of safety and learning that schools embody” and prayed for the girls’ quick return. The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) also condemned the attack as “tragic, senseless and utterly unacceptable.”
A statement from NSGF chairman, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, stressed, “Schools must be sanctuaries of learning, not targets of violence.
Continued assaults on educational institutions threaten to reverse gains made in improving school enrolment and curbing the out-of-school crisis in the region.”
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) called the attack “devastating” and noted that it occurred on International Students’ Day.
Olushola Oladoja, NANS president, said, “Nigeria cannot continue to deploy reactive measures only after lives have been destroyed and families shattered.
“Our schools must never be playgrounds for terrorists; our daughters must never again be turned into bargaining chips in the hands of criminals.”
UNICEF urged the Nigerian government to implement stronger measures to protect children and educational institutions. Sussan Akila, UNICEF Communication Specialist, said,
“This tragic incident is yet another stark reminder of the urgent need to protect children, schools, and the personnel they rely upon to learn safely. We stand with the affected community at this difficult time.”
UNICEF emphasized the swift and safe release of the abducted students and that those responsible must be held accountable under national and international law.
