A boarding school for girls in northwestern Nigeria was attacked Monday by armed gunmen, resulting in the death of one staff member and the abduction of 25 students. The attack in Kebbi State underscores a disturbing trend of increasing school kidnappings across Nigeria, frequently enough carried out by criminal groups seeking ransom and highlighting ongoing security challenges in the region.This latest incident follows a similar mass abduction in the state in 2021, raising concerns about the safety of students and educators.
Jakarta –
Gunmen attacked a boarding school for girls in Kebbi State, Nigeria, on Monday, November 17th, killing the school’s deputy head and abducting 25 students.
The coordinated assault, carried out by individuals armed with rifles, targeted the school premises, according to reports from Reuters and AFP. Nigeria has struggled with a surge in school kidnappings in recent years, often carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom.
Local police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi stated that officers exchanged gunfire with the attackers before they scaled the school’s perimeter fence and seized the students.
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Reports indicate that the deputy head of the school was fatally shot during the attack, and one security guard sustained injuries.
A joint operation involving military personnel, tactical police units, and local residents has been launched to locate the abducted students and apprehend the perpetrators. Search efforts are currently focused on routes believed to have been used by the gunmen and surrounding forested areas.
This marks the second mass abduction in Kebbi State in the past four years. In June 2021, more than 100 students and staff members were kidnapped from a government college in the region.
Those students were gradually released over a period of two years after their families collectively raised ransom payments. Some female students were reportedly forced into marriage during their captivity and returned with children.
